Clearly a Mistake
by Metal-Panda-Alex
Summary: We all saw Jack and Miranda's confrontation - but just what were the circumstances surrounding and leading up to it? Rated M for Jack's language and references to sexual content. Jack/Miranda. Mentions of FemShep/Liara and one-sided Kelly/FemShep.
1. Confronting

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

Miranda Lawson looked up as the door to her office hiss open. She hadn't been expecting anyone, so was surprised to see Jack marching straight through the doorway and past her desk. Frowning, Miranda turned in her seat and watched as the tattooed woman took a running leap into the bed, rolling over and sitting quite comfortably against the pillows. Miranda turned back to her desk, quickly flicking her computer screen off. She got to her feet, and slowly stepped towards the bed.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Miranda asked, standing at the foot of her bed and raising an eyebrow at the other woman.

"Nothing really," Jack replied with a shrug. "Got bored – tired of those fucking engineers always bothering me."

"And so you came to me?" the Cerberus Agent questioned, her tone still disbelieving.

"Hey, don't act like that," Jack replied hotly. "You didn't seem to care so much last night when you had your fingers up my ass."

"I told you we'd never talk about it," Miranda said sternly, folding her arms. "_Ever_."

"Aww, is the cheerleader embarrassed that she's been fucking the freak?" Jack cackled, leaning forwards into a sitting position.

"I'm embarrassed _for you_ if you feel the need to shout it about so freely," the raven-haired woman snapped.

"Christ, calm down, babe," Jack replied, leaning back against the pillows. "Though you are kinda hot when you're angry."

"Jack, now is not the time," Miranda said, turning back towards her desk and walking towards it. "You can come by later if you want, but don't pester me while I'm working."

"Why the hell not?" the bald woman snapped. She gestured with her arms, holding them wide. "There's no one else here! No one's going to hear what you and I have been doing."

"Jack, stop."

"No, I think I should go through everything we did," Jack replied, grinning sadistically. "Let's see, there was the time you followed me into the shower, remember? And you fucked me senseless against the wall! Oh, and then when you got back from dealing with your sister, we spent the whole night bumping pussy, remember that?"

"I have nothing to say to you." Miranda said, turning back to face Jack, glaring at her.

"So that's it?" the convict responded, pushing herself off the bed and following the other woman. "I'm just your little plaything? I shouldn't have expected anything different – I've always been your organisation's little toy."

"That wasn't Cerberus – I told you," Miranda replied fiercely.

"I don't give a fuck what you told me!" Jack said, leering in Miranda's face. "It was a Cerberus facility, it was Cerberus people!"

"They had gone rogue, they had nothing to do with us," the dark-haired woman replied hotly, still not resorting to shouting.

"You're just like everyone else that's ever screwed with me – you take what you can, and then act like you never even knew me!"

"Jack, that's not-"

"Shut up!" Jack shouted, her biotics flaring in a haze of light around her. "I don't care!"

"Jack, please..." Miranda reached out, attempting to place a hand upon the other woman's arm. Jack however, slapped it away.

"Touch me and I will smear the walls with you, bitch!" as she yelled, Jack used her powers to fling the nearest chair at Miranda. It narrowly missed, impacting against the wall and clattering to the floor.

"Enough!" a third voice interrupted. Both women turned to find Commander Freya Shepard standing in the doorway, her eyes blazing. "Stand down, both of you!"

"The cheerleader won't admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong!" Jack growled, glaring in Miranda's direction.

"It wasn't Cerberus, not really," Miranda replied, forcing her voice to be calm in the presence of Shepard. "But clearly you were a mistake."

For the briefest of moments, Jack's eyes betrayed just how deep those words cut her.

"Screw you!" she snapped, instantly regaining her composure and jabbing a finger in Miranda's direction. "You've got no idea what they put me through! Maybe it's time I showed you!"

"You two need to both calm down," Shepard replied sternly, stepping closer. "The mission is too important for you to let your personal feelings get in the way."

"Fuck your feelings," Jack snapped. "I just want her dead."

"You're behaving like children," Shepard said, looking between the two of them. "How are we supposed to fight the Collectors if you're too busy ripping each other to pieces?"

"I can put aside my differences," Miranda said coolly, stepping closer to Jack. She gazed intently into the other woman's eyes, attempting to express her apologies through her expression. "Until the mission's over..."

"Sure, I'll do my part," Jack replied detachedly; clearly Miranda's expression had gone unnoticed. "I'd hate to see her die before I get a chance to filet her myself."

Jack made to leave the room, but Shepard's arm stopped her. "You two going to be okay?" the Spectre asked, glancing between the two of them. Jack just pushed the blonde woman's arm aside and continued out the door.

"It's a good thing you came by when you did," Miranda said, letting out a deep breath and reseating herself behind her desk. "As long as she does her job, we'll be fine. Thanks, Shepard."

"Don't mention it," the commander replied, turning towards the door. "What was she even doing up here?"

"...I don't know," Miranda replied after a small pause. "She's crazy – who knows how her mind works."

Shepard just sighed and nodded, quickly exiting the room. Miranda turned back to her computer, and flicked the screen back on. Instantly, an image of Jack's face filled the screen. Miranda couldn't help but smile at the picture – beside Jack's, her own smiling face was looking up at the camera Jack had been holding. With a sigh, she closed the image file, and continued with her work.


	2. Beginning

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**For the purposes of this story, we'll assume there's a lot of boring crew quarters and other rooms on the Normandy that we never saw – the one room seen in game doesn't seem like enough for the whole crew.**

**~xxx~**

Freya Shepard sighed as she stepped out into the CIC. After the incident in Miranda's quarters, she found herself mentally frazzled. She stepped over to her private terminal, not really intending to do anything. Yeoman Kelly Chambers, always adept in reading the emotions of others, moved over to the Commander's side.

"Is something wrong, Shepard?" she asked quietly, so as to go unnoticed by the nearby crewmembers. Shepard sighed again, and leant against the edge of the console.

"I just had to stop Jack and Miranda tearing each other limb from limb," the Spectre replied, closing her eyes and massaging the bridge of her nose.

"Really?" Kelly gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.

"You sound surprised," Shepard said, standing back to full height and turning to face the redhead. "Something I should know?"

"Oh, nothing," Kelly replied. "Sorry Commander, I just......I didn't think Miranda would act like that."

"Well, to be fair it was mostly Jack that was being violent," Shepard explained. "She was throwing a chair at Miranda when I turned up."

"How awful," the yeoman replied. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Well you could talk to Miranda," the Commander said. "I'll deal with Jack."

"Commander, there's......something you should know..."

"...what?" Shepard asked, her tone suspicious. Kelly shook her head.

"Not here – my office," she said curtly. Shepard nodded, and followed as the redhead led her into the elevator.

Before long, they had reached Kelly's small personal office, often used when she needed to evaluate individual crewmembers' psychological state. While Kelly usually consulted crewmembers at their posts in a casual manner, she had mentioned that having the privacy of this room allowed her to discuss some of the more personal matters with them. Shepard looked around for a moment, having never visited the room. Kelly moved behind the small desk that dominated the room. Curiously, she quickly grabbed what appeared to be a framed photograph and quickly shoved it into the nearest drawer. Shepard frowned, but pretended not to notice; there were more pressing matters after all.

"Please, sit down, Commander," Kelly said with a smile, seating herself behind the desk. Shepard did as instructed, crossing her legs.

"So – what's the big secret?" the Spectre asked. "Clearly there's something I haven't been told."

"Shepard......you have to understand, what I'm about to tell you can't leave these walls," Kelly warned nervously, clearly not comfortable with imposing such a request on the Commander.

"Fair enough," Shepard replied with a wave of her hand. "Just get to the point."

"Alright..." Kelly said with a sigh. "It all started about a month ago......when you rescued Jack from Purgatory..."

**~26 Days Ago~**

Miranda Lawson stepped confidently down the steps to the lower decks, a datapad held under her arm. She was furious with Shepard for making her give their newest recruit access to the Cerberus Network. She was baffled by the Illusive Man's decision to include Jack on the list of potential team members for Shepard's 'suicide squad,' the woman was clearly a danger to the mission, and with her feelings towards Cerberus, was unlikely to comply with both regulations and orders. Still, Shepard had the Illusive Man's trust, so Miranda had no other option but to comply.

As she neared the convict's makeshift bed, the tattooed woman looked up, a smirk upon her face.

"Well well, if it isn't the cheerleader," Jack remarked scathingly. "I take it you've come to apologise for being born a bitch."

"Here's the data you wanted," Miranda said coolly, ignoring the other woman's words and holding out the pad. "This will allow you access to all of Cerberus' classified files and records."

"Shepard's pissed you off good, hasn't she?" Jack replied, continuing to grin as she took the datapad. "Running around like a fucking errand-girl."

"What I think is irrelevant," Miranda stated flatly. "I follow orders."

"What a tool," Jack remarked casually, already starting to flick through information on the pad. "I bet you don't even sleep – you just hang yourself up next to the spanners and screwdrivers."

"I know my place," the Cerberus agent replied coldly, turning on her heel and striding away. "I hope you learn yours."

"You're a tool with a nice ass, I'll give you that!" Jack cackled as Miranda disappeared from view. Miranda paused for a moment, a momentary flare of blue light around her clenched fists, before forcing herself to remain calm and continue on her way.

**~Present~**

"Well, they didn't exactly seem to be the best of friends when we found Jack," Shepard remarked. "I'm not surprised Miranda wasn't very happy about having to give Jack the data."

"No....she wasn't," Kelly replied. "In fact she vented all of her frustrations about it at me when I visited her."

"Oh? What did she say?"

"I...don't really want to say..." the Yeoman said, looking away. "...she swore me to secrecy."

"Kelly, don't make me pull rank on you," Shepard said, and then instantly regretted it. "....but you'd enjoy that anyway, wouldn't you?"

"Well..." Kelly started, her face now matching her hair colour. "...she said she should have wired your brain up differently during the Lazarus Project..."

"She told me as much," Shepard replied, rolling her eyes.

"That's not all..." Kelly continued. "She also said she wanted to blow you out an airlock and repeatedly ram you with the ship."

"...huh," Shepard smiled. "I may have to have a talk with her..."

"Don't you want to hear what happened next?" Kelly offered, clearly thinking of ways to stop Shepard leaving. The Spectre thought for a moment, before leaning back in her seat.

"Go on then,"

"Well, things were quiet for a few days," the redhead continued. "It was the day you were exploring that abandoned research station – the one on that desert planet."

"I took Miranda and Jack with me to make sure they could work together..."

**~22 Days Ago~**

"I'm starting to think that outfit of yours is a good idea, Jack," Shepard said breathlessly, dragging herself up the final few steps of the stairway that clung to the outside of the crumbling building. "I'm roasting..."

"Quit complaining," Jack replied, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the twin suns as she surveyed the surrounding area.

"Who said I'm complaining?" the Commander said, smiling slightly as she stood beside the tattooed woman and stared out at the surrounding desert. "Maybe I'll find us a nice ice planet next time."

Jack didn't respond, and just stepped over to the edge of the roof. While the side of the building with the stairs backed onto a desert, a deep canyon was present on the other side, and the decrepit research station was right on the edge of it, in danger of collapsing into the huge scar on the planet. As Shepard set about repairing the roof-mounted solar power generator, Miranda made her way up the stairs, having stayed inside for a few moments to rewire the systems that Shepard was attempting to repower.

"You don't often see these old solar panel systems anymore," Miranda said, standing beside where Shepard was crouching. "As soon as Element Zero was discovered, pretty much all research into other energy forms just stopped.

"I've seen them on quite a lot of deep space probes," Shepard replied, poking her head into an open panel on the side of the machinery. "And small research posts that can't afford a dedicated generator."

"Is it salvageable?" the raven-haired woman asked, careful to keep an eye on Jack at all times. "Just standing up here could cause the whole building to fall over the edge; EDI said the edge of the canyon isn't stable."

"You wanted to come," Shepard reminded her with a smirk. "You were quite happy to send me down to that old ship that was teetering on the edge of a cliff, _on my own_."

"I can understand why you wanted some extra help," Miranda replied. "But did you have to bring _her_?"

"She's a part of the team," the Commander reminded her. "We have to include her just as much as everyone else."

"It'd be easier to put her in Grunt's tank and be done with her," Miranda said harshly. "He's an unstable krogan, and I trust him more than _that_." She gestured at Jack.

"Starting to lose your human-centric views?" Shepard teased, attempting to restrain her annoyance at Miranda's barrage against Jack.

"I'd hardly call her human," Miranda replied. The Commander just rolled her eyes, before pulling herself out of the open machinery, and closing the hatch behind her.

"Power has been restored," EDI's voice stated. "You can now safely recover the data. Be advised – the structural integrity of the canyon wall beneath the station is incredibly weak; exercise caution."

"Let's get this done quickly," Shepard said. "I don't want to stay here a moment longer than we have to."

"I'm gonna stay up here," Jack called from her position overlooking the canyon. Miranda gave Shepard a look, and the Spectre just raised an eyebrow.

"...why?"

"Because I fucking said so," the bald woman replied gruffly. Miranda just shook her head and started down the stairs. Shepard followed, glancing over her shoulder at Jack, who was still just standing upon the edge of the building, staring out at the arid landscape.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief as she and Miranda entered the cool interior of the building. She made a mental note to have Garrus and Jacob help her design some sort of lightweight version of her usual armour – something that didn't leave her swimming in her own perspiration. Miranda was already at the console, working away.

"The radiation from the suns is interfering with our uplink to the Normandy," Miranda explained. "We can talk to them – but we can't transfer data."

"I suggest you transcribe the data to an OSD," EDI suggested. "It will only take slightly longer than a direct download." Miranda nodded and pulled the small disc from her pocket. As she began the download, Shepard looked out over the rest of the station. The console they were at was situated on a walkway above the area she assumed whoever had worked at the station had conducted most of their research. Various computer stations littered the room, covered in a mixture of dust and sand.

Shepard stepped over to the other side of the walkway, simply curious as to what would be visible from the new vantage point. However, she hadn't seen the toolbox sitting half-on, half-off the edge of the walkway. Caught by the Commander's foot, the small metal box flew over the edge, clattering to the floor several metres below. In the silence of the building, the noise seemed deafeningly loud. Shepard froze, and slowly turned to Miranda, her was staring at her with a mixture of shock and surprise. They remained like that for several seconds, before seeming to relax.

"My bad," Shepard said gingerly, earning a roll of Miranda's eyes. However, no sooner had the Cerberus agent turned back to the console, than a loud crash rang out through the building, far louder than the first. Shepard looked over the walkway, and saw that the toolbox had knocked into a large canister, that had clearly rolled down a nearby staircase. And like every other canister or barrel that Shepard had come across in her life, it exploded. The building shook and seemed to lurch to one side, the sound of twisted and banging mental ringing out through the musty air. Shepard ran to Miranda's side, just as the dark-haired woman pulled the OSD from the console.

"We need to get Jack!" Shepard shouted over the increasing noise, ducking as a nearby light fell from the cable that had suspended it.

"Forget her," Miranda snapped. "There's no time!"

"Get up to the roof – I'll get the Kodiak and pick you up," the Commander said, already making her way to the doorway that led to the landing pad.

"But-"

"That's an order!" Shepard replied angrily, briefly turning to face Miranda. "Go!" The Spectre disappeared through the doorway, leaving Miranda alone. Letting out a growl, she placed the OSD back in her pocket and headed to the doorway that led to the outside staircase. She was flung into the railing as the building lurched again, and she nearly stumbled. She ran as fast as her legs would allow, following the stairs as they wound about the outside of the structure. Reaching the roof, she saw no sign of the tattooed woman.

"Jack!" she shouted, desperately looking around. She wasn't afraid of not finding the other woman – she was afraid of what Shepard would do if she didn't.

"Fuck!" came the grunted reply. "Why'd she send you?!" Miranda looked over to the side of the building that was overlooking the canyon, part of which had already started to collapse, and saw a pair of tattooed hands barely visible among the twisted metal of the severed roof panels.

Carefully, Miranda made her way over to the other woman, trying her hardest not to provoke any more collapse. However, she couldn't help but panic when she saw what she was facing – not only had part of the building collapsed, but so had the canyon edge beneath it. Below Jack's dangling body, she could see the bottom of the drop, easily more than a mile below.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jack snarled. "I don't need your help!"

"Shepard would kill me if I didn't help," Miranda replied, working out the best way to get closer to Jack without making more of the ceiling collapse. Another series of shakes set her stumbling, and she nearly fell straight forwards over the edge herself.

"Then don't help me," Jack spat. "At least I'll die knowing you're going to."

"Believe me, it's tempting," the raven-haired woman replied. Happening upon an idea, she lowered herself onto her front, and slowly edged herself towards the other woman.

"What the fuck are you doing?" the convict asked, letting out a groan as the metal piping she was holding in one hand started to bend.

"Saving your worthless life!" Miranda replied, reaching out a hand and continuing to edge forwards, spreading her weight as wide as possible.

"I ain't gonna owe you shit, alright?!" Jack replied.

"Alright," Miranda replied, still desperately reaching forwards.

"Right, okay, yeah – fucking help me then!" the bald woman demanded, gingerly letting go of one of her handholds, and reaching towards Miranda's outstretched hand. For a fleeting second, their fingertips brushed, but it still wasn't close enough. Miranda looked behind her, and saw a small vent roughly level with her feet. Seeing no other option, she shifted her foot behind the small raised area, and moved further forwards, using the vent to stop herself from sliding down the increasingly inclined roofing. She grabbed Jack's hand, firmly locking her fingers through the other woman's.

"On three, I'm going to pull," Miranda instructed. "Try and kick yourself up on the edge." Jack nodded, staring intently into Miranda's eyes. "One....two....three!" The dark-haired woman wrenched Jack up with all her strength, and as she did so, Jack pushed against the crumbling side of the roof with her feet, propelling her up further. If one were to view the action in slow motion, it would appear as though Miranda were moving from laying upon her front, to a sitting position, and then onto her back. For Miranda herself, the movement struck her with such force that it knocked the wind from her, causing her to let out a yell. Things were only complicated, when Jack's tattooed body came crashing down upon hers. With no energy left to move herself, Miranda just stared up at the other woman, who was still gazing intently down at her.

For the briefest of moments, the sound of the rapidly collapsing building seemed to fade. Miranda's breathing slowed, and Jack continued to stare down at her, unblinking.

The moment was broken as the engines of the Kodiak Drop Shuttle roared overhead. The two women looked up, to see the large side-door of the shuttle open, Shepard standing upon the edge of it, a harness wrapped around her waist, allowing her to lean forwards without falling. Jack struggled off of Miranda, and quickly took a running leap at the shuttle. Shepard steadied her as she entered the shuttle, and quickly moved out of the way. Miranda was still laying upon the warm surface of the roof, gazing up into the sky.

"Miranda!" Shepard called. "Get in here, now!" Broken from her reverie, the dark-haired woman scrambled to her feet and took off towards the shuttle. Following Jack's example, she took a running jump and ended up being helped into the vehicle by Shepard. Once both women were onboard, Shepard jammed her fist down on the door controls, and the hatch closed.

As the shuttle moved clear, the entire research station began to slant further to the side, as the cliff-face beside it began to collapse. Rapidly, the building crumbled into a mass of twisted metal panels and pipes, quickly being consumed by the falling rubble as the entire station appeared to vanish in a cloud of sand. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief as she leant against the door, closing her eyes and running a hand through her sweat-slicked hair.

Miranda and Jack remained as far away from each other as the small room would allow, never looking at each other.

**~Present~**

"So what's the relevance of that?" Shepard asked. "Miranda saved Jack's life – surely that would make them less likely to fight each other, if anything."

"Miranda came to me the next day," Kelly continued. "We've known each other for a while – I was going to be your personal therapist if you hadn't been woken up early when the Lazarus Research Station was attacked. Anyway, she came to my office in a complete state..."

**~21 Days Ago~**

"I need help, Kelly," Miranda sighed as she collapsed into the chair opposite the Yeoman's. Kelly instinctively reached towards the framed photo on the desk, but Miranda wordlessly reached for it, and turned it over. "She's never going to be interested, Kelly," she said. "She's only got eyes for that asari – I told you."

"I know," Kelly replied indignantly, snatching the photograph of Shepard back. "But this isn't about me – what's wrong?"

"Alright..." Miranda said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "You must have read Shepard's report on what happened?"

"Yes, although I had to persuade the Commander herself to tell me that she destroyed the station with a toolbox," Kelly explained. "That part was conveniently left out of her report."

"What did she have to say about what happened on the roof?" Miranda asked, her eyes still closed, as if she was embarrassed to look the redhead in the eye.

"Well, not much..." the Yeoman replied, sounding suspicious. "Just that you helped Jack up, then she flew the Kodiak up to get you – and that you were momentarily stunned, probably exhausted from pulling Jack up."

"Something like that..." the dark-haired woman replied. "But.......oh Christ Kelly, I'm ankle-deep in shit..."

"What happened?" Kelly asked softly, knowing that it took something extremely bad to force Miranda to actually use expletives.

"When I pulled Jack up......she was on top of me..." Miranda explained. "And......and all I could think about is just how much I wanted to grab her and kiss her..."


	3. Stirring

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**Apologies for two things - 1) This chapter's kinda short compared to the last one - I'm currently extremely ill, but I wanted to get _something_ out for you all. 2) It's mostly dialogue - probably because my cold-addled brain can't handle descriptive writing.**

**~xxx~  
**

"You know about the toolbox?" Shepard asked, seemingly resisting the urge to pout. "I will _definitely_ be having words with her..."

"_That'_s what you took from that?" Kelly replied incredulously. "_Miranda_ was getting turned on by _Jack_!"

"Well..." the Commander said slowly, leaning back in her seat. "Jack's quite attractive, and I can't imagine Miranda gets much 'action' in her line of work."

"But...but..." the redhead stammered, unable to get over Shepard's lack of apparent surprise. "...why aren't you shocked?"

"Oh I am," Shepard replied with an almost playful smile. "I just hide it under my tough 'Saviour of the Galaxy' visage."

"Of course," the Yeoman said with a smile of her own. "I should have realised that something like that wouldn't be that big a deal to you."

"Well it would explain why she rejected Jacob," Shepard mused, remembering her conversation with the man. "He said she needed a 'better man.'"

"Actually Miranda likes to classify herself as bisexual," Kelly clarified. "Though when the last time she was actually with a man was, I do not know."

"What about Jack?" Shepard replied. "I can't imagine she really cares about classifying her sexual preference."

"As far as I can tell, she has no preferences," Kelly said. "Apart from a liking of strong-willed people."

"Well that's definitely Miranda," the blonde woman said, nodding to herself. "So......are you saying they got together and what I saw just now was a lover's spat?"

"Must have been something along those lines," the Yeoman replied. "I hope they're okay......Miranda was so happy with Jack..."

"Seems like there's more to this than you've told me so far," Shepard said, leaning forwards in her seat. "Perhaps you should tell me more – I've still got a while until my evening comm. link with Liara."

Kelly appeared to tense slightly at the mention of the asari's name, but quickly covered it up. "Well what would you like to know?" she asked a bit too brightly. "How they got together? How long they've been seeing each other? What their preferences in the bedroom are?"

"They...they told you that...?" Shepard asked, her eyes wide and voice quiet.

"Of course – people seem to trust me with things like that," Kelly replied, her tone that of someone discussing the weather. "Jack rather enjoys just lying on top of Miranda while she's asleep and sucking her breasts, and Miranda herself is very keen on tribadism – she said she loved how Jack felt against her."

"Maybe..." Shepard began, her voice suddenly hoarse. "...you should start with how they got together..."

"Alright," Kelly said, not even noticing just how close she had come to causing the Commander to pass out. "Miranda didn't come to me again for a while after that – but I was on my rounds a few days after the mission – while you were..." She paused for a moment, glancing away. "...while you were on Illium..."

**~18 Days Ago~  
**

"Good afternoon, Jack," Kelly said pleasantly, stepping closer to the tattooed woman's usual spot below Engineering. "How are you today?"

"Just as pissed off at you coming down here as I was the last time," Jack replied flatly. She pulled her right foot up onto the bed, leaning her arm against her raised knee. "What about you? Must be stressful being Shepard's bitch."

"I wish," Kelly replied with a friendly smile, ignoring the other woman's attempts to annoy her.

"Oh, that's right," the biotic said with a grin. "She's off banging her blueberry, isn't she?"

"Liara, yes," the redhead said, straining to keep her pleasant demeanour. "But I'm not here to talk about Shepard."

"Trying to play psychiatrist again?" Jack said, letting her raised knee drop and getting to her feet, slowly stepping to the far side of the room, her back to the other woman.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Kelly replied. "You must have been pretty shaken up after what happened at that station."

"Hey, I've nearly died hundreds of times before," Jack countered. "It wasn't any different – I survived, like I always do."

"But those other times you didn't end up on top of a beautiful woman," the Yeoman added.

"You'd be surprised," Jack replied with a small smile, before frowning. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well you see, Miranda came to see me after what happened," Kelly continued. "She said she...enjoyed being that close to you."

"You're shitting with me," Jack replied. "That Cerberus bitch wants me dead, and the feeling's mutual. Besides, I can't see her wanting to fuck a chick – she's too 'perfect' for that."

"Actually Miranda has had several girlfriends in the past few years," the redhead explained.

"So, what are you saying?" Jack asked. "She wants to jump into bed with me? Fuck that."

"I'm just telling you what she told me," Kelly replied. "I felt you had a right to know."

"I don't buy it," the tattooed woman snapped, turning to face Kelly. "She goes to you – a trusted friend – and tells you that she liked having a bitch like me on top of her – and then you decide to shit all over your secrecy and tell me?"

"I...I guess I just wanted to know what your reaction would be," Kelly admitted.

"Well here's my reaction," Jack said dangerously. "She can dream on – I ain't being anyone's fuckbuddy."

"I'll...pass that on then..." the Yeoman replied, sighing dejectedly. "I just thought-"

"I don't give a shit what you thought," Jack growled. "Cerberus fucked with me once – I'm not letting one of their people _literally _fuck me."

Kelly nodded wordlessly, and turned to leave. She hadn't genuinely expected any different – but couldn't resist the urge to simply _attempt_ to play cupid. She stood for a moment, listening to the hum of the drive core on the deck above for a moment, before starting towards the stairs. However, Jack's voice caused her to pause again.

"Wait," she said quietly. "If......if I didn't think this whole thing was completely fucked up...what would you suggest I do?"

"Well," Kelly began, glad Jack could only see the back of her head, rather than her huge smile. "You could start by just talking to her – she's up in her office right now."

"...thanks."


	4. Talking

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~18 Days Ago~**

Miranda looked up as she heard the door chime. She had informed Kelly that she wanted to speak with Shepard, so she was surprised when the door opened, revealing the last person she wanted to see. Jack was standing with her arms folded, a scowl on her face. Miranda's expression hardened, and she leant forward on her desk.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly, narrowing her eyes and the tattooed woman. Jack just rolled her eyes.

"Nice to see you too, bitch," the convict replied, stepping uninvited over the threshold and allowing the door to close behind her.

"I don't have time to entertain you," Miranda said coldly. "Give me a good reason for your being here, or get the hell out."

"Not very chatty, are you?" Jack replied with a smirk, flopping down in the chair Miranda has positioned beside the window. "Look, I figure that sooner or later Shepard's gonna come down here with her psychiatrist hat on, and try to get us having tea-parties and sleepovers. The way I see it – if we can get to some sorta arrangement before then, she'll just leave us alone."

"Agree to be comrades rather than forced to be friends?" Miranda summed up, taken aback by Jack's idea. "I must say, I'm surprised that you are the one to put this forward."

"I know how this shit works," the other woman replied. "I've already got Shepard worked out – she wants us to be her perfect little goody-goody band of heroes. That may work with the turian, or the quarian, but can you see Grunt palling up with the rest of us?"

"So you're saying that we should put our differences aside ourselves, at least for the duration of the mission, rather than allow Shepard to pull us into her 'friendship group'?" the dark-haired woman asked. "You sound a little too convinced that she's capable of that."

"You know that information broker; Liara T'Soni? The one they call 'The Ice Queen'?" Jack asked, folding her arms. "I went with Shepard to Illium – she had that asari in tears begging for forgiveness for some shit she'd done, and then she had me and Garrus leave the room – hate to think what happened in there after we'd left, but Shepard looked pretty breathless when she came out. I'd rather we sort ourselves out before Shepard has us running around in dresses and pigtails signing nursery rhymes. Like you said – comrades by choice, rather than friends by force."

"That certainly is a disturbing mental image," Miranda replied coolly, leaning back in her chair. "But what do you suggest we do?"

"Well..." Jack paused, finally coming unstuck after her surprisingly well-thought-out plan. "I dunno...I guess......we talk...?"

**~Present~**

"Out of interest, what did happen on Illium?" Kelly asked. "After you sent Jack and Garrus out of the room."

"I ended up with carpet-burn on my ass," Shepard replied with a smirk. Kelly just nodded.

"I see..." the yeoman replied with a sigh. Shepard folded her arms.

"Look, Kelly, when is this going to stop?" the blonde asked gently. "I'm never going to leave her."

"But..." Kelly replied quietly, looking down at her desk. "But in your report....you said she treated you like.....like dirt....like a stranger..."

"She was being recorded, Kelly," Shepard said. "Every word was being listened too – she probably said too much as it is. I know Liara T'Soni – I could see just how much she wanted to come with us; with me."

"Because taking down the Shadow Broker is more important than saving the whole galaxy," Kelly scoffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"She knows we can get the job done without her," Shepard replied, her voice becoming slowly harder. "In this mission, the main skills she would bring would be her biotics – between Samara, Jack, Miranda, Jacob and Thane, I think we have that covered."

"She abandoned you," Kelly said quickly, looking as though she instantly regretted it. Her eyes were wide with fear as Shepard got to her feet.

"You think I don't want her here?" the Commander replied icily. "You think I don't miss her? You think I don't cry myself to sleep every night because I can't hold her?" Kelly looked even more upset that she had caused such an admission from Shepard. "You are going to have to face facts, Kelly – I love Liara – I always will. I appreciate the attention, but I will never leave her – not for you, not for anyone else."

"I...I understand..." Kelly whimpered, hanging her head. Shepard sighed.

"Now, are we good?" she asked. "Or do I have to find a new yeoman?"

"No...no, I'll be fine," the redhead insisted. "I'm just sorry I let things get this far."

"Good," Shepard replied, her tone lightening slightly. "Now, I have to get back to my cabin – we should be in range of a comm buoy soon."

"Of course, Commander," Kelly nodded.

"You can finish this story when I get back," Shepard said with an encouraging smile.

**~xxx~**

"She said _what?!_" Liara raged, slamming her fist down upon her desk and jostling the holo-imager that was conveying her image to the Normandy. "How dare she? You know I would never-"

"It's okay, Liara," Shepard replied with a chuckle. "But I appreciate the thought."

"Freya, you know I would never..._could_ never..." the asari continued, subconsciously pouting.

"Liara, you don't have to convince me," the Commander said. "If I didn't believe it was the right choice, you would be here right now. But as I said, this mission is just too dangerous......I don't want to think that you may die because of one of these people we've recruited so far. Besides, you've got so much longer left to live – settle down with someone else, maybe..."

"That is something else I could never do," Liara replied seriously. "When......when you are...gone......I know I will never be with anyone else. It would be an insult to you..."

"Wow, why did we end up talking about something so morbid?" Shepard said with raised eyebrows. Liara looked embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean.......sorry..." the asari apologised weakly, her true tone of voice showing again.

"Forget it," Shepard replied with a smile. "I don't plan on going away any time soon – someone's got to make an honest woman of you."

"And there was me thinking that I was to do that with _you_," Liara said, smiling herself.

"Says the woman who sends me naked holos of herself," Shepard countered teasingly. Liara's face seemed to become several shades of blue darker, and she remained silent. "Speaking of which – just who took those pictures?"

"The imager has a timer," Liara replied flatly, her bottom lip sticking out a mile. "You are the only person who has.....who has seen..."

"You in all your blueness?" Shepard suggested with a wicked smile. She glanced to the side, looking over a separate computer display showing the Normandy's position. "Anyway – we're moving out of range of the buoy. So if you don't mind, I've got an appointment with those pictures and my hand."

"Freya!" Liara gasped.

"Love you, darling," Shepard replied with a grin, before blowing Liara's glaring face a playful kiss, and terminating the link. She sat there for a moment, just smiling serenely, thinking of the woman she had just spoken to.

**~xxx~**

Kelly was still sitting in her office when Shepard returned, trying her best not to look miserable – clearly she had assumed she had a good chance of wooing Shepard. She forced a smile as Shepard sat before her, folding her arms. The Commander returned the smile, in no doubt that the redhead was forcing hers. Pushing the thought from her mind, she spoke.

"So, where were we?"

"Well," Kelly began. "As I said, they started talking, and eventually Miranda got them drinks, to try and ease the tension..."

**~18 Days ago~**

Jack let out a laugh as she knocked back the last remaining mouthful of whatever alien alcohol Miranda had procured. After an hour or so of awkward skirting around the issue of Cerberus, the two women had taken to sharing stories of various exploits before they had joined the Normandy. Jack left out her encounters with Cerberus, and Miranda didn't mention their involvement in the various missions she had been on. They had found they shared a common sense of humour, especially when it came to analysing the traits of other people. That, or they were just so drunk they had forgotten to hate each other.

"He seriously tried that on you?" Jack asked, slurring slightly. "Fucking dick."

"Oh that's not the worst part," Miranda insisted. "Then he tried to make me feel sorry for his 'lack of manliness' – and said that maybe if we had sex, he'd feel better."

"Jackass," the other woman remarked. "How do you even meet these people?"

"I've met a lot of interesting people over the years," Miranda replied. "Some more so than others."

"What about me?" Jack said, unceremoniously dropping her glass to the floor. "I interesting enough for you?" She was watching Miranda carefully, clearly trying to figure out just where she stood with the other woman. The raven-haired woman chuckled, flicking a stray hair from her face.

"Not the first word I would choose to describe you," she commented with a smirk. "But I suppose it works." Jack chuckled to herself and nodded. "And me?"

"Hm..." Jack looked up, pondering for a moment. "....I'm still going to have to go with 'bitch'."

"Thanks," Miranda replied with a raised eyebrow, placing her own glass upon her desk.

"Hey, it can be a good thing," Jack pointed out. "Means you won't take any shit. I like that."

"Well that's high praise coming from you," the dark-haired woman replied, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms. "I thought you hated everyone."

"Who's saying I don't hate you?" Jack replied with a smirk, earning a pair of rolled eyes from Miranda.

"It's getting late," Miranda observed, glancing at the clock on her computer's readout. "We should probably get some rest."

"Yeah..." Jack regarded the other woman carefully. In the space of a few hours, they had made more progress than any number of sessions with Kelly Chambers would have achieved. Despite her connection to Cerberus, Miranda was becoming more and more appealing to Jack; if only she looked past the uniform. Miranda seemed to be content to just stare at Jack for a while. "You checking me out, Lawson?"

"As if," Miranda replied with a sly smile, leaning forwards against her desk. "I'd still rather put back in your restraints."

"Maybe I'd like that," Jack chuckled, slowly getting to her feet. "If you were the one doing it."

"Jack..." the taller woman said quietly. "...are your flirting with me?"

"I was gonna ask you the same question..." the tattooed convict replied.

"I still don't trust you," Miranda replied, watching as Jack stepped closer.

"Smart," said Jack. "I'd hate to think you didn't think of me as a threat."

"You want that?"

"I like it when they're scared,"

Kelly's voice from the intercom cut their rapport short, breaking any sort of mood that had been created. "Miranda, Shepard's on her way down to see you in regard to that help you needed."

Jack looked pointedly at Miranda. "Help?"

"Something private," the raven-haired woman replied. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"And there was me thinking we were best friends now," she said with a smirk. "Hiding things from me?"

"Don't kid yourself," Miranda replied, suddenly sounding more like her usual self, despite her previous agreeable tone. "You've got a long way to go before I'd trust you with something like this."

"Okay, okay," Jack said, stepping backwards with her hands raised in mock-defence. "Don't burst a fucking blood-vessel." She turned towards the door. "For what it's worth; I had fun."

"...so did I," the Cerberus agent replied, her voice intonated with a small amount of guilt at her harsh words. "Look, Jack...get Shepard to bring you with us when we go......prove yourself to me..."

"Prove myself?" Jack repeated, crossing her arms in bemusement. "I don't have to prove shit to you."

"But you want to," Miranda replied confidently. "You're not the only one who can figure people out easily."

"...yeah, whatever," the bald woman snapped, turning away from Miranda and stepping close enough to the door for it to open for her. "I'll be there..."

**~Present~**

"I thought Miranda looked a bit too cheerful when I got to her office," Shepard commented. "I thought it was a bit strange considering how worrying her situation was. And that would explain why Jack asked to come.......and I guess why Miranda then came to Pragia with us."

"Don't get too far ahead," Kelly said, smiling slightly. "Plenty happened on and after the business with Miranda's sister."

"Well then," the Commander said, folding her arms behind her head. "Do continue, oh wise storyteller..."


	5. Cooperating

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~17 Days Ago~**

"This better not be some kind of joke, Jack," Shepard warned. The cool atmosphere of the airlock did nothing to calm her nerves, as she watched the other two women with some trepidation.

"I told you, I wanna help," the convict replied, not even bothering to look in Shepard's direction. "To...to prove myself." She briefly gave Miranda a look; the Cerberus agent was only half looking at her in return, but was unable to hide the small smile that graced her lips.

"Fair enough," the Commander said with a sigh. "Just stay focussed on what we're doing."

The airlock hissed open, and a haze of heat washed over the group as the Illium afternoon blew into the small room. Shepard took a deep inhale, soaking up the atmosphere before they had even set foot off the Normandy. As they headed towards the Trade Floor, the concierge that had greeted them on their first visit to the planet stepped forwards.

"Commander Shepard," she began. "I have a message from your......contact...here on Illium."

"What did my contact want to say?" Shepard asked, folding her arms. Ever since Shepard and Liara had met again, they had decided that secrecy was the best option, given the increased interest in the young asari now that she had been seen with the 'dead Spectre.' "Nothing bad, I hope."

"Oh no, nothing like that," the concierge said. "Simply that they wish you well, but would advise against visiting while you are currently on Illium – to avoid suspicion, you understand."

"Of course," the Commander replied, her voice only hinting at just how disappointed she was. "Is there anything I can do for them while I'm here, though?"

"I was instructed to give you this," She held out an OSD, which Shepard quickly took and deposited within her hardsuit. "I was told you would find it most appealing, when you 'long for Ilos again', whatever that means."

"I understand," Shepard replied. Quickly glancing either way to make sure there was no one nearby that would be able to read her lips or amplify her voice, she leant closer and whispered in the asari's ear. "Tell her I love her."

"I will pass that on," the concierge said, her voice still at a normal volume. "Enjoy your stay on Illium."

Shepard nodded, and continued towards the Trade Floor, Miranda and Jack exchanging baffled looks behind her. As they emerged into the sunlight, it was hard to not be in awe of the city laying before them. They had visited Illium twice before – once to pick up Thane, and once for Samara, but the view had still not lost it's impact. Jack placed her hands on the wall of the area and leant over, observing the bustling streets far below. Shepard just cast a glance to her right, half-glaring at the office that was situated above the trade area. Miranda moved to stand beside her.

"Something bothering you, Shepard?" she asked, earning a sigh as a response.

"She's up there, Miranda," the blonde replied. "She's up there, right now, and there's not a damn thing I can do." She gestured at the lower levels of the building, where crowds of people moved about, seemingly going about their business. "Just how many of those people down there are watching her? Recording her every move?"

"She wanted this, Shepard," Miranda stated. "It comes with the territory."

"No she didn't," the Commander countered. "You know what she wanted? She wanted to visit Earth. She wanted to see the pyramids; or the Great Wall; we promised each other that once Sovereign was dealt with, we'd go travelling. See all of Earth's greatest archaeological wonders. And then we'd go back to Ilos – and she would have the whole planet to explore."

"Life never turns out how you want it to," the dark-haired woman replied, gazing back out at the sleepless city. "No matter how much you want things to go a certain way, you can't will them to do it."

"I guess I was kidding myself that I could..." Shepard said with another sigh. "But, at least she still loves me, right? I know that my Liara is still in there – covered up by two years of having to look out for herself, but she's in there. And once this is all over, I'm taking her away from here. I don't care if she protests – I want her back."

"Let's hope we both live to see that," Miranda replied with an encouraging smile. Shepard nodded, and gave a small smile of her own.

"Hate to interrupt, but don't we have someone's sister to help?" Jack chimed in, her arms crossed impatiently. "You know, just throwing the idea in..."

Shepard nodded. "Let's move."

**~xxx~**

As Miranda and Shepard discussed the plan with Lanteia, Jack just leant against the wall and watched. It was strange that Miranda would describe the asari as one of the only people she could trust, given her devotion to Cerberus. Jack knew they weren't all xenophobic; just most of them. She had expected Miranda to possess the same feelings, just hide them under her 'perfect' exterior – so to say she was surprised would be an understatement. But it wasn't the most intriguing thing; seeing Miranda clearly so concerned about someone else was a strange sight. Granted, it was her own sister – but Jack had firmly believed the Cerberus agent was incapable of feeling any sort of compassion towards others. She couldn't help but smile slightly, not at the situation, but simply at what she had discovered; Miranda Lawson did indeed have a heart.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Miranda," she heard Shepard say, and pushed herself off from the wall. She wasn't worried about the mission itself – but despite mentally screaming at herself not to, she couldn't help but worry about disappointing Miranda.

**~xxx~**

Jack felt whatever was left of her own heart break as Miranda related the story of Oriana's creation to her and Shepard. Despite everything she had endured at the hands of Cerberus; all the pain she had suffered non-stop for years, at that moment, all she wanted to do was find Miranda's father and make him pay for what he had done. Hearing the dark-haired woman's voice, usually so confident and controlling, now full of such emotion and vulnerability, made the convict just want to reach out and hold her. She'd never expected to feel like this about anyone, least of all a high-ranking Cerberus operative. But yet, something about this woman, she just couldn't put her finger on what, was driving her onwards. She was now more determined than ever to get Miranda's sister to safety – not for Oriana herself, but just to hear Miranda thank her; to prove that she wasn't just damaged goods; that she could do something worthwhile.

"I wasn't the first one he made, I was only the first one he kept," Miranda said, and Jack felt her own rage building even more. It was just like what Cerberus had done to her – at least partially. She had been taken to that facility and turned into something that other people wanted. Miranda had been literally created, for the same reason – to be perfect in the eyes of those with too much power and no conscience.

"Enough talking," Jack finally spoke. Miranda and Shepard turned to her. She could tell that Miranda merely thought she wanted to start killing people, so she clarified. "I dunno about you, Shepard, but I've heard enough reason to get Oriana out safely." She turned to Miranda, hoping to see some glimmer of thanks in those cold eyes. As Shepard stepped into the elevator, Miranda smiled at Jack, and took a step towards her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I knew I could trust you with this."

"No child should have to grow up knowing they were just made to satisfy another person's wants," Jack replied, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "I...I guess you and are kinda alike, Lawson."

"You two coming?" Shepard called. Miranda gave Jack another small smile, before leading her into the elevator.

**~xxx~**

By the time they had reached the next elevator, both Shepard and Jack had clearly marked Niket as a traitor. Miranda's suggestion that they falsified the radio transmissions just seemed wholly pointless, and now Jack felt even more disgusted. Miranda was learning why she herself kept away from making friends, and she was learning the hard way. She had said Niket was one of the few people she _knew_ she could trust, and yet he had betrayed her, most likely for a price. As she had told Shepard – everybody wants something.

"Niket wouldn't do that..." Miranda's fist connected with the elevator controls. "Damn it, why won't this thing go any faster?!"

"If he's set you......us up, he's dead," Jack fumed, pacing up and down in the small space. "I'll rip his spine out myself."

"He couldn't," Miranda insisted. "He knows what I went through. I don't know, damn it."

"Whatever's going on, someone's gonna pay for this shit."

**~xxx~**

"Niket, you sold me out."

"How do you want to handle this, Miranda?" Shepard asked, her pistol carefully aimed at the asari beside Niket, who she assumed was Captain Enyala. Miranda took a step forwards, never lowering her weapon.

"Why Niket?" she pleaded. "You were my friend – you helped me get away from my father."

"Yes! Because you wanted to leave; that was your choice!" Niket replied, his hands rising higher as Miranda continued to brandish her gun. "But if I'd known that you'd stolen a baby..."

"I didn't steal her, I rescued her!" Miranda snapped, her voice filled with venom. Jack stepped forward, moving her shotgun from Enyala to Niket.

"From a madman who thought it would be fun to play around in a science lab until he got the perfect daughter," the convict fumed.

"No, from a life of wealth and happiness," Niket countered. "Miri, you weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father!"

"How did Miranda's father turn you?" Shepard questioned, narrowing her eyes. Niket sighed.

"They told me you kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago," he explained.

"And you lapped it up like the dog you are," Jack spat. "As long as they paid, you'd believe anything they said."

"It wasn't like that," Niket insisted. "I was the one that felt betrayed – I deserved to know that you'd stolen your sister, Miri. I deserved to know you were with Cerberus. But I had to hear it from your father first."

"How much did Miranda's father pay you?" Shepard asked calmly.

"A great deal," Niket replied, glancing to the heavily armed asari at his side.

"Just like I said," Jack observed. "Give someone what they want, and they'll do anything for you – even betray their closest friends."

"Don't get holy with me," the man replied. "Miranda took his money for years."

"I've had enough of this," Enyala barked. "Time to put you down, Lawson – once you're dressed of course – or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

"You'd be dead before you pull the fucking trigger," Jack growled, tightening her grip on her own weapon.

"We'll see about that," the asari replied with a smirk.

"If Niket knows about Oriana, so does your father," Shepard pointed out. "Relocating her won't work."

"He doesn't know," Niket said. "I knew about your surveillance programs, so I kept it hidden from him. I'm the only one that knows."

"Then you're the only loose end," Miranda said calmly. "This isn't how I wanted it to end, Niket..." But before she could even raise her weapon, Shepard had grabbed the end of her pistol, keeping it pointed low.

"Miranda, is this really what you want?" the Commander asked firmly. "So what, he's made a stupid mistake – but do you really want to be the one responsible for his death?"

"No...I'm not a cold-blooded killer..." the dark-haired woman replied, looking away sadly. Jack kept her shotgun directed at Niket, in case he chose to take advantage of Miranda's moment of weakness. The Cerberus Agent looked up, her eyes glistening slightly. "I never want to see you again, Niket."

"Done," Enyala said simply, before unloading a round from her weapon into Niket's back, sending him tumbling to the floor with a grotesque thump. Miranda let out a scream of rage, her biotics flaring into life as she lifted the asari into the air.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" she spat. Jack, acting instinctively, flung a blast of her own at Enyala, sending her spiralling to the floor at the rear of the room. As she fell, her troops sprang into action, emerging from behind several crates and containers. Shepard dived for the nearest cover, but Miranda just stood there, glaring across the room at Enyala, who was getting back to her feet. Without warning, she felt herself pulled to the ground, and looked up to find Jack crouching over her, an explosion ringing out mere moments later, leaving a small crater of molten metal at the spot Miranda had just been standing. Shaken back into full awareness, she struggled to her feet, seeking the nearest cover. Jack followed, crouching beside her.

"Thanks," Miranda said over the noise of the incoming gunfire, to which Jack just nodded.

"Thank me when we get out of this!" the bald woman replied, inserting a fresh heatsink into her shotgun and rolling briefly out from behind the crate, firing a few shots off before skidding back into the safe zone.

"We get out of this alive," Miranda started. "And you can buy me a drink." Several shots impacted nearby, sending sparks in their direction. Jack smirked.

"If you're asking me out, Lawson, why don't you just fucking say so?" Both women grinned at each other, before diving around their respective sides of the crate, unleashing blazes of gunfire at the Eclipse.

**~Present~**

"They were asking each other out while I was taking all the fire?!" Shepard asked incredulously. Kelly just raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, sorry, carry on..."

**~17 Days Ago~**

Jack rose back to her feet, Enyala's corpse beneath her. Miranda stood at Jack's side, staring down at the asari, before turning back to Shepard. The area was littered with dead Eclipse mercs, thin trails of smoke still rising from some of their bodies. The three of them moved over to the elevator on the opposite side of the room to the one they had arrived in. Stepping inside it, Shepard keyed in instructions, before turning back to the group.

"I can't believe Niket sold me out," Miranda said remorsefully. "I didn't even see it coming."

"I did," Jack said bluntly. "Close friends are always the best targets if someone's trying to get to you."

"Why didn't you let me kill him?" the dark-haired woman asked, her head lowered. "I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch."

"Wouldn't have helped a single fucking bit," Jack replied for Shepard, gaining a surprised look from the Commander. "So what, you kill him – and add that to the list of things you regret."

"I guess so..." Miranda said quietly.

"It's your father you should blame – he's the one that turned Niket against you," Jack added.

"Jack's right, Miranda," Shepard said. "Your father knew that you'd trust him – he knew exactly what to do."

"He's always been like that – taking everything away from me," the Cerberus agent said sadly. "Everything I ever cared about, he took from me, except my sister; and even she, I had to take myself. And now he's managed to indirectly take Niket away."

"You can't toss aside everything you care about just to be safe," Shepard said kindly, stepping towards Miranda.

"It's okay, Shepard," she replied. "My father hurt me but he didn't break me. As much as he tried to turn me into exactly what he wanted – I'm my own person."

"Damn straight," Jack added with a smirk. "Besides, you've still got us."

**~xxx~**

"Jack, are you...smiling?" Shepard asked with a small one of her own. They were standing near an elevator door, watching Miranda talking to her sister. The convict looked away, out at the cityscape in the distance.

"Screw you," she replied simply, giving a rather prominent scowl. Shepard rolled her eyes and turned back to Miranda, who was now approaching them. Without a word, they entered the elevator. Miranda gave one last look at Oriana, and smiled before the doors slid shut.

**~xxx~**

Miranda looked up from her desk as the doors opened. Jack leant against the doorframe, smirking at her. The Cerberus agent pushed her chair back from her desk, getting to her feet.

"Jack, what can I do for you?" she asked, sitting upon the edge of the desk and watching as the other woman moved closer.

"Several things," Jack answered, giving a predatory smile. "What do you _want_ to do for me?"

"First, I wanted to thank you," Miranda replied earnestly, smiling. "You performed admirably – I doubt we would have been able to get Oriana to safety without you."

"Keep going..." the convict said quietly, stepping closer still.

"And......I guess I really like you..." Miranda continued, her smile growing along with Jack's. She reached out and traced a hand down Jack's bare arm, gently teasing the tattooed skin.

"And...?" Jack grinned, leaning into the other woman's hand. Miranda just shook her head in amusement.

"Oh come here," and with that, she grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pulled her into a deep kiss. The convict, never one to be submissive, placed on hand behind Miranda's head, preventing her from pulling away, and with the other she grabbed the edge of the desk, using it to push herself against the other woman with more force. They broke apart for a brief moment, both breathing heavily against the other's face.

"Bed. Now," Jack commanded, her eyes boring into Miranda's. The dark-haired woman didn't argue, and allowed herself to be practically flung onto the soft bed, Jack following immediately and straddling her, preventing her from getting up. She grinning predatorily from above the other woman, before leaning down and kissing her again, with such force that Miranda knew she would be bruised; but she didn't care. She ran her pale hands over the other woman's back, quickly undoing the buckle that held the straps she wore over her chest together, flinging it aside. Jack reared back for a moment, stretching her arms above her head and simply allowing Miranda a good look at her tattooed breasts.

"Last chance to back out, Lawson," she warned with a grin. Miranda just raised an eyebrow.

"Get down here."


	6. Explaining

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

"Kelly!" Shepard snapped. "I do not need to know the details of who came on whose face!" The yeoman shrank back behind her desk. "Just skip those parts – please."

"I...I didn't realise you were so shy when it came to sex," the redhead replied timidly. Shepard sighed and rolled her eyes.

"It's not that," the Commander insisted. "I just don't want to know those sort of things about people I have to rely on it battle – it's a little weird. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Kelly replied, pouting ever-so-slightly. "Anyway..."

**~16 Days Ago~**

Miranda shifted uncomfortably, finding her arm movement restricted somewhat. As the sleepy haze began to leave her mind, she realised that it was her own bed-covers that bound her. Assuming she had rolled over in the night and gotten herself tangled up, she half-heartedly turned back the other way. And found herself face to face with another woman. Jack's eyes were closed, and she wore a surprisingly peaceful expression. Her arms seemed to have wormed their way under her pillow, and she appeared to have half-curled up, Miranda now noticing that their legs were touching. As the memories of the previous night's activities came flooding back, the Cerberus operative couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since she had been so intimate with someone, longer still that it had been with a woman. But Jack had been different; Miranda had always hated it when men tried to dominate her, and loathed women who were submissive towards her. Jack had been both, but neither. She had moved against Miranda with such force that she appeared half-crazed, and yet had allowed the dark-haired woman to have just as much of her own way with her.

All in all, it had been a rather unforgettable night. However, Miranda realised that now was the time to answer some serious questions. Just what did she feel towards Jack? Respect? Yes. Attraction? Of course. Something more? She wasn't sure. She had never been one for casual sex, the flipside being that she was usually working too much to form any sort of meaningful relationship with someone. In her time with Cerberus she had had five intimate encounters; three men, two women. She had tried to tell herself that there had been something there, but every single one had felt like a mistake nearly as soon as it had started. And then it hit her – as she laid there, wrapped up in her own warm, slightly-damp bed sheets, she felt nothing but complete contentment.

"You always think this loud?" Jack remarked, her eyes remaining closed. Miranda smiled slightly, and freed one of her arms, gently placing it over Jack's body. Instantly, the convict stiffened and her eyes opened. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You weren't complaining last night," Miranda replied, a hint of playfulness in her voice. Jack scowled.

"That was last night," she stated bluntly.

"Jack," the dark-haired woman said, her voice becoming more serious. "If you'd wanted to do the whole 'it didn't mean anything' routine, you wouldn't still be here."

"Shut up," Jack replied weakly, closing her eyes again and turning away. Miranda's smile returned, and she tightened the grip she had gained upon the other woman.

"You were amazing," she said fondly, earning a grunt from the bald woman. "I mean it, Jack."

"Hooray," the convict replied sarcastically. "Seriously, Lawson – when was the last time you actually fucked someone? You sound like you've never done it before."

"Pardon me for wanting to preserve the mood," Miranda said with a raised eyebrow, withdrawing her arm.

"Excuse me?" Jack replied, quickly pulling herself into a sitting position, allowing the covers to fall from herself. "What mood? Last night was just sex. A fuck. That's it."

"Jack, if you believed that you wouldn't have been acting like a shy schoolgirl with a crush when you turned up in my office."

"Fuck you," the convict spat. Miranda just smiled.

"Yes you did," She leant her head close, near enough to feel Jack's angry breath against her face. "And you showed me more of yourself than you realised."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jack replied harshly.

"Jack, you seem to have forgotten that you admitted to liking me," Miranda continued, her smile the very image of someone who knew they were right. "You can't cover up what you feel by throwing a few angry words my way."

"I...you..." Jack stammered for a moment, glaring vehemently at the other woman, before sighing and collapsing back down, her head against Miranda's shoulder. "No...I guess I can't..."

"We're hopeless, you know that?" Miranda commented, her smile becoming more genuine as she again curled an arm around Jack's small form. The convict didn't flinch at the contact this time, and instead slowly placed one of her legs over Miranda's, revelling in the smooth skin against her own.

"For what it's worth, you're the best fuck I've ever had," Jack offered, clearly trying to say something nice. "You know, of those I can actually remember."

"Coming from you, that's high praise," Miranda replied with a smile, shifting her head closer to Jack's and placing a quick kiss upon the fine fuzz.

"So what now?" the tattooed woman asked quietly. Miranda gazed up at the ceiling, having no more answer to give than when she had asked herself the very same question.

"I don't know," she replied simply. "This wasn't exactly planned, was it? Then again......I guess these things never are..."

"That's such a clichéd thing to say," Jack replied with a small smirk. Miranda chuckled.

"Would have been worse if you'd slipped out while I was asleep," the dark-haired woman said. "I haven't read a single romance novel where that doesn't happen."

"I haven't read a single romance novel," Jack added, earning another laugh from Miranda.

"Of course you haven't," the Cerberus operative replied teasingly. "If you had you would know how to sweet-talk me."

"Fuck that," Jack laughed. "I'll point my pussy in your direction and leave the rest to you."

"So much for discussing where we are," Miranda pointed out. Jack just shrugged and stretched her arms out above her head.

"We'll just see what happens," she said. "Better that way. Plans can't go wrong if there aren't any."

"I guess you're right," the other woman conceded. "We have too much to worry about as it is."

"Ah yes, the great mission," Jack commented. "You honestly think we'll make it back alive?"

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't," Miranda pointed out with a smirk. "As for me, well......maybe now I've got something to look forward to on the other side."

"If I haven't splattered you across a bulkhead by then," Jack added. "I still think you're a bitch and a tool."

"A tool with a nice ass, right?" Miranda couldn't help but smile at the memory of that conversation. Jack cackled.

"You've definitely got that," she said, unsubtly pushing a hand between Miranda's rear and the mattress, gripping the flesh firmly. They both laughed, and shared a brief kiss, before settling back down together.

**~Present~**

"You know, they actually sound kinda cute," Shepard commented, an eyebrow raised. "All things considered."

"Oh they were," Kelly gushed, a wistful expression upon her face. "They were so sweet to each other – it was amazing; when they talked about each other, it's like they transformed into different people. The next two weeks were so wonderful – hearing about their midnight meals together in the mess hall, and the way they seemed to be just getting closer and closer, and all the-"

"Sex, yes Kelly," Shepard butted in, rolling her eyes. "You make them sound like a fluffy high-school couple. I can't imagine a relationship between Miranda and Jack being anything other than sweat, biotics and lust."

"Well yes, there was a good deal of that too," the yeoman said with a slight blush. "But that was just their way of showing how deeply they were starting to care for each other."

"But they kept the pretence up when other people were there, right?" the Commander asked, crossing her arms. "On Pragia Miranda was anything but comforting."

"Yes...that was the arrangement..." the redhead replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Miranda was heartbroken after that mission. She was so upset she went to Jack as soon as you returned and just held her, all night, not a word between them."

"But if that's the case, why the argument?" Shepard mused, frowning. "Jack said Miranda was denying Cerberus was directly involved."

"Commander, you have to realise that Miranda has been under a lot of stress lately," Kelly said. "At the start of the mission, her loyalty was only to the Illusive man. But now, she's torn between him, you and Jack. She doesn't want to go against the organisation that's given her everything, but neither does she want to disappoint you, or hurt Jack."

"So she probably said a load of stuff she didn't mean," Shepard said with a nod. "That would explain a lot."

"Miranda doesn't know where she is at the moment," Kelly continued. "She doesn't know who to trust more, or what Jack wants with her, or what lies ahead for her. For the first time, she's not in control and it scares her. She needs some stability."

"I wish she'd come forward with this to me," the blonde replied with a sigh. "We could have done something about it before her relationship with Jack was jeopardised."

"That's what I'm here for," the yeoman said with a smile. "As for Jack – you want them to stay together? I thought you may think it would affect the mission."

"I have no problem with crew fraternisation," Shepard explained. "If their relationship gives them a reason to get through this, great."

"Then we have two people to talk to," Kelly said, a determined look sliding into place on her face. The two got to their feet, heading out of Kelly's office. As they headed back towards the elevator, Shepard glanced at Kelly.

"I couldn't help but notice that asari porn magazine sticking out from one of your cabinets," she said, smirking at Kelly's again red face. "Don't worry, just drop it off in my quarters and there won't be any trouble."

"I'll lend it to you if you answer one question - what was in the file that Liara gave you?"

"A few naked pictures of her," Shepard replied with a blush of her own. "I kinda deleted them when I got a little over-excited and kicked my computer off the desk."

"Been there, done that."


	7. Crumbling

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**This chapter has been rewritten - I wasn't happy with the first version. Secondly - just because I've written a story set after this fic, don't assume I'll be sticking to the continuity...  
**

**~xxx~**

"Jack?" Shepard called out. "You down here?" The hold seemed even darker than usual; the normally vibrant red glow had been reduced to a barely noticeable haze. Shepard wondered if Jack had found some way to turn them off, but as her boot touched a shard of broken glass, she realised that the convict had probably smashed the lights, along with many other objects, in a violent outburst. As she stepped further into the area, towards the bed jack usually sat on, her eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light. Upon the floor beside the bed, curled up, was Jack, her head resting against her knees.

"What the fuck do you want?" she finally replied, her head unmoving. Shepard stepped closer and crouched down, drawing level with the other woman's face. Jack's eyes appeared to be red and puffy, though the dim light made it difficult to discern.

"You okay?" the blonde offered. She knew Jack was obviously not, but it seemed the best way to start.

"What's it to you?" Jack spat back, finally looking up and glaring at the Commander. Shepard just sighed.

"I know, Jack," she said quietly. "About you and Miranda. Kelly told me everything."

"Fucking bitch," the bald woman seethed, looking away and scowling. "Bet you had to fuck her just to get that info, right?"

"She did try," Shepard replied, vainly attempting to lighten the mood. She shifted from her crouching position into a more comfortable one, sitting beside the other woman. "Things got pretty heated back there."

"Don't even try," Jack warned with a growl. "I know what you're trying to do – you're gonna convince me that she shouldn't die a slow and painful death, just so I don't screw up your precious mission."

"Actually this has nothing to do with the mission," the Spectre said. "From what Kelly told me, I got the impression you two made quite a good couple."

"I thought so too," Jack replied, turning back to Shepard. "Guess I forgot how life always fucks you over."

"I don't think so," Shepard countered. "I reckon you two were actually going somewhere."

"Yeah, down the craphole," the tattooed woman muttered. "All that fun we had and she was just playing me for a sucker."

"You can't claim that just because of what happened today," Shepard said. "Miranda's been under a lot of stress."

"Spare me the therapist crap," Jack replied. "The bitch never wanted anything more than a fuckbuddy."

"And you wanted more?" the Commander asked, shifting her legs. "I'm surprised."

"You don't know shit about what I wanted," the other woman spat. "Look, just fuck off and leave me alone – I've got no problems with you; hell, you did more for me than the cheerleader ever would have. I've got your back on the mission, just keep her away from me. That bitch made me think.......made me feel things I haven't felt before......and then smashed it all."

"Nothing I can say to change your mind?" Shepard asked with a sigh, starting to get to her feet.

"Nope," Jack replied simply, turning away and leaning her head against the edge of her bed. As Shepard approached the stairs, she heard the quiet, but unmistakable sound of a woman weeping.

**~xxx~**

"Any luck?" Shepard asked with a sigh, flopping down onto her bed, her arms and legs spread wide, stretching the full size of her mattress.

"None," Kelly replied, collapsing down onto the sofa opposite the bed. "She just gave me the 'I don't care' routine. I take it things didn't go so well with Jack either?"

"Doesn't want anything to do with her," the Commander replied. "I think we're going to have to face facts – it's not going to work."

"It doesn't feel right giving up after just one short attempt," the redhead replied. Shepard sat back up and shook her head.

"Maybe we should swap targets?" Shepard suggested, sitting up from the bed and tilting her head in thought. "Jack only sees me as a Commander; considering how much Miranda has her confused, I doubt she can handle seeing two sides of two people. You could probably get further with her."

"And you would be perfect to talk to Miranda," Kelly observed. "She has so much respect for you – you're her commanding officer, she'd probably just spill everything if you ordered her to."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," the Spectre said with a small smile. She knew that the mission's end was drawing ever-nearer, and they were rapidly running out of time in which they would be able to tackle personal matters such as this. With a sigh she got to her feet and headed towards the door, Kelly following. "You realise they're going to know exactly what we're doing."

"Then we'd better do a good job," the yeoman replied with a smile.

**~xxx~**

"Commander, what can I do for you?" Miranda looked up from her computer console. Shepard glanced around, noticing that the chair Jack had flung across the room was still sitting upon it's side.

"I just wanted to talk," she replied, deciding upon leaning against the wall, her arms folded. "About Jack."

"What about her?" the dark-haired woman asked, an air of suspicion in her voice. "If this is about our disagreement, I'm fine."

"So when Kelly was here a few minutes ago she neglected to mention that she told me everything?" Shepard said, earning a look of mixed shock and annoyance from Miranda.

"I see," she replied curtly. "Shepard, it doesn't matter anymore. Whatever it was we had, it's gone."

"I'm not so sure," the Commander replied. "When you two were fighting, you reverted back to your usual Cerberus shtick. But I know from what Kelly's told me that you were heartbroken over what happened to Jack on Pragia."

"I wouldn't say heartbroken," Miranda said, her tone of superiority that had been present when they first met returning. "I felt sorry for her, but-"

"Drop the act, Miranda," Shepard warned. "You have to be honest with me."

"Alright..." the other woman said quietly, getting to her feet and slowly stepping over to the window, looking out at the passing stars. Shepard followed silently, making sure to keep her distance. "If you want the honest answer – I don't know why I said what I did. I guess......I guess I panicked when I saw you.....Jack and I had been arguing over keeping our relationship hidden from the rest of the crew......and when you arrived I just......I didn't want to say what we were really talking about......so I guess I just reverted back to the sort of thing I used to say."

"This all happened just because you were embarrassed about me finding out?" Shepard replied incredulously. "Miranda, Jack is ready to throw herself out the airlock down there."

"She is?" Miranda asked, turning to face Shepard, revealing the tears streaked down her face. Her voice carried an unusual tone, one Shepard had never heard before. She sounded frightened, and lost. Shepard stepped closer, and placed a comforting hand upon Miranda's arm.

"Maybe you should go talk to her," the Spectre suggested. "You're clearly distraught about this – maybe if she sees you like this, she'll realise this has all been a misunderstanding."

"You...you really think so?" she asked weakly. Shepard gave an encouraging smile.

"When I met Liara again on Illium, no one would have been able to blame me if I'd just run away and never spoken about her again," she said. "But here's the thing – I love her. Whatever happened to her, she's still my Liara, still the same person. If it weren't for the mission, I would be with her right now. Running away at the first sign that something's wrong is only going to cause more pain."

"You're right, Shepard," Miranda conceded, managing a small smile. "But then again......you always are, right? Even at the start, when I was acting like such a snob to you, you were always right..."

"I like to think of it as lucky," the Spectre replied with a smirk. "Now get down there."

"Yes ma'am," the other woman answered, smiling slightly wider. They left the office together, Miranda heading straight for the elevator, and Shepard heading towards the mess, where Kelly was standing anxiously. Shepard smiled and folded her arms.

"There we are – problem solved," she said proudly. "She's going down right now to apologise."

"She's what?" Kelly's expression was anything but pleased. "Shepard, Jack just told me that if she was even near Miranda again, she would kill her."

"But..." Shepard's smile wavered slightly. "I thought you were going to sort her out."

"I tried," the yeoman insisted. "But all she did was get angry and pull a gun on me. Shepard, she's completely murderous."

"And I just sent Miranda down there..." Both women immediately took off towards the elevator, but by the time they arrived, the doors had already sealed and it was moving down towards the lower decks. Shepard jabbed the holographic console that had formed over the closed door repeatedly, but to no avail. For better or for worse, Miranda was heading down to Jack, alone. "She still has to get from engineering to the hold. That should give us time."

"I hope it's enough time," Kelly replied nervously. They waited patiently. The minutes stretched by, with Shepard often slamming her fist into the console. Eventually, the sound of the elevator rising back through the ship was heard, and both women prepared to jump into it as soon as the doors opened. However, as the metallic doors finally did open, Kelly let out a gasp. Slumped in the corner of the elevator was Miranda, her head slumped down, a small trickle of blood seeping down her face.


	8. Learning

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**IMPORTANT: Re-read the last chapter - I've re-written most of it, and you'll need to read that to understand this chapter.  
**

**~xxx~**

"So you're saying you didn't hear or see anything?" Shepard asked irritably, causing Kenneth Donnelly to shrink back slightly. He glanced nervously to the side, Gabby's expression mirroring his own.

"Not a thing, Commander," he replied. Gabby elbowed him in the ribs.

"That's not true," she said. "We heard a lot of banging a while ago. But then you came down and left without anything being said, so we assumed nothing was up."

"It sounded like Jack was rearranging her little hovel," Ken added. "We thought that was fine."

"It was the first time," Shepard explained hotly. "The second load of noises you heard was Jack throwing Miranda into a wall."

"Shit," the Scottish man muttered. Gabby's expressions was more of concern.

"Is she alright?" the female engineer asked. Shepard sighed and folded her arms.

"She'll be fine," the Commander replied. "Doctor Chakwas is keeping her in the med-bay for observation."

"What's going to happen to Jack?" Gabby asked, sounding slightly worried.

"Nothing at the moment," Shepard said. "It's complicated. As long as you stay up here, you'll be fine."

"All the same, I think I'm gonna keep a pistol handy," Ken added. "Just in case."

"Just don't provoke her," Shepard stated flatly. "And don't tell anyone about this – I don't need awkward questions." The two engineers nodded and returned to their work. Shepard, sighing again, moved over to Tali to check in on the young quarian.

**~xxx~**

"I can't believe she actually attacked her," Kelly said. "I never thought she'd go that far." They were situated at their usual positions in the CIC, Shepard at her private terminal, and Kelly at her own. "It's a good thing it was the middle of the night – otherwise the whole crew would know. Only Doctor Chakwas saw that Miranda was hurt, and I think she bought our story that Miranda fell down the stairs."

"She'll probably figure it out from her injuries," Shepard mused. "I told Ken and Gabby what happened – just to reinforce that they should have done something – but I think they realise what I'll do to them if they start gossiping."

Kelly smiled. "I'll bet."

"It's my fault," Shepard sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose in an attempt to quell her growing headache. "I never should have sent Miranda down there."

"I spoke to her while you were down in engineering," the yeoman said. "She doesn't blame you."

"Good – I'm getting enough of that from myself," the Spectre muttered. "What did she say?"

"Not much other than that," Kelly explained. "But she's absolutely miserable. I'm not sure it won't affect her mission performance."

"Probably best if we keep her on the Normandy for a while," Shepard suggested. "I don't want to her to be a liability when we're trying to get that IFF. I doubt geth, or Husks, or mini-Reapers, or whatever we find in there are going to go easy on us if one of the squad is having emotional problems."

"That's true," Kelly conceded. "I suppose we should focus on the mission – we have spent quite a while worrying about these problems."

"If we all get through this, we'll see what we can do," Shepard said, smiling slightly. "Now then, is there anything I should know?"

"You have unread messages at your private terminal," Kelly said, her tone becoming business-like. "And Samara wants to see you."

"Samara?" Shepard repeated. "This should be interesting."

**~xxx~**

When Shepard entered the Starboard Observation room, she was surprised to find Samara not on the floor, but seated upon one of the reclining chairs to the right, a book in her hands. She smiled when she saw Shepard enter, placing the old tome upon the small table beside her.

"Shepard," the Justicar greeted. "I am glad you are here."

The Commander returned the smile, "You wanted to see me?" Samara nodded and gestured at the nearest chair. Shepard seated herself, surprised at just how much she had needed to sit down.

"I will not detain you long," Samara said. "But I have some advice to impart. Regarding the issue that has kept you busy recently."

"How much do you know?" Shepard asked suspiciously. Samara continued to smile.

"Enough," the asari replied cryptically. Shepard raised her eyebrows. "Do not concern yourself – the crew does not know. When you have lived as long as I, reading people's emotions becomes second nature."

"Show-off," the human said with a small smile, to which Samara chuckled. "Anyway, what did you have to say?"

Samara got to her feet, and slowly stepped over to the window. Remembering Miranda's actions in her office, Shepard wondered with some amusement if looking at stars somehow helped people to converse with her. The asari lowered her head, and placed a hand against the cool glass.

"It appears that even though they care for each other, a relationship is impossible," the asari observed. "Their personalities seem to be completely incompatible."

"That doesn't necessarily make a relationship impossible," Shepard said. "An old human saying – 'opposites attract'."

"They say that on my planet too," Samara replied with a smile. But it faded with a sigh, and she continued. "However, there are rare cases in which attraction is possible, but commitment is not."

"Any examples?" Shepard asked, feigning ignorance.

Samara turned to face Shepard, her eyes blazing with sorrow. "...I have none," she replied weakly, turning back to the stars again. "But you must remember – if it is not to be, it is best not to pursue it, lest it cause more heartache for both those involved."

"I guess so," Shepard said with a sigh. She got to her feet, and stepped closer to Samara. "I'm sorry, Samara..."

"Do not be," the asari replied, again turning to Shepard. "We both agreed. You have Liara, I have my code."

"Seems you and I could both do with more than one lifetime," the blonde woman mused.

"That would be something..." Samara murmured. Shepard nodded, and then tentatively, leant closer and placed a chaste kiss upon Samara's cheek.

"Thanks for the advice," the Spectre said, before turning on her heel and leaving. Samara turned back to the stars, her eyes unblinking.

"Thank you......Freya..."


	9. Numbing

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**IMPORTANT: Just because I've written a story set after this one, don't think I'm not afraid to alter the continuity. Remember - this fic is still being written AFTER that oneshot, things may not go as you expect...  
**

**~3 Hours Ago~**

Miranda wore a small smile as she approached the stairway down to the hold. Pausing for a brief moment, she used her sleeve to wipe her cheeks, making sure no tears remained, before continuing on her way. Like Shepard before her, she noticed the broken glass upon the floor, and wondered just what Jack had been doing down here. As she neared the woman's usual position, she felt a wave of caution overtake her; she could almost feel the anger emanating from somewhere in the dark.

"Jack...?" she called weakly. Upon hearing her voice, the tattooed woman shifted slightly. "Jack, I'm-"

"Shut up," the convict spat, getting to her feet and emerging into the dim light. "How _dare_ you come down here?"

"Jack......I'm sorry..." Miranda replied, her voice still surprisingly timid. "I didn't......I didn't mean what I said...."

"Easy for you to say that now, isn't it?" Jack growled, stepping closer still. "When you're not being _embarrassed_ by me."

"I'm not......not embarrassed..." If Jack had been in a better mood, she would have marvelled at how unlike herself Miranda sounded.

Jack just shook her head, her eyes blazing. "Really?" she said, tilting her chin up. "That's really the best you've got?"

"Jack, please just let me-" But Miranda was cut off again.

"No!" Jack took a dangerous step forwards, her hands glowing with biotic energy. "You don't get to lie! Not now!" It was only now that Miranda realised that tears were flowing freely from the tattooed woman's eyes. "You just want to fuck me around! Just like everyone else!"

"No I don't!" Miranda insisted, standing her ground. Her own voice had taken on a more confrontational edge. "For god's sake Jack, I _love you!_"

"No!" With a thrust of her arm, Jack's biotics lifted Miranda from her feet and flung her backwards into the wall. The Cerberus operative slid down the polished metal, crumpling into a heap upon the grated floor, a thin line of red sliding down her face, which was now mostly hidden by her dark hair. Jack stood, every emotion possible flickering past her eyes. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Hatred. She was unable to move; rooted to the spot.

"Miri...?" Her voice was now quiet; timid. She took a tentative step towards the motionless woman. "Miranda, get up..."

The dark-haired woman remained still, Jack's panicked eyes searching for any sign of movement. She found none.

**~Present~**

Miranda let out a gasp as her eyes snapped open, drawing in a deep breath as she returned to consciousness. She was distinctly aware that there was very little light around her, and wondered briefly if she was still down in the hold. However, this idea was quickly discarded when she saw Doctor Chakwas' head come into view above her. And then she remembered just what she was doing in the medical bay. But that didn't explain why the lights were so dimmed; even during night-hours, Chakwas kept the sickbay well-lit.

With a groan, Miranda shifted into a sitting position. "What's going on?"

"We're in the atmosphere of Mnemosyne," Chakwas reported. "The Normandy is functioning on reserve power only – to keep a low profile. Shepard and her team are attempting to acquire the Reaper IFF."

"So soon?" the raven-haired woman asked, frowning. The doctor nodded.

"Shepard wanted to get it done," she replied. "Said something about 'no more distractions.'" Miranda nodded, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Can I leave?" she asked, reminded how often doctors demanded their patients stay in bed. However, Chakwas nodded.

"I don't see why not – just take it easy for the next day or so," the doctor instructed. "That was a nasty blow."

"Indeed," Miranda replied quietly, before lifting herself off the bed and placing her feet upon the floor. "Who did she take with her?"

"Samara and Garrus, I believe,"

_'She's still on the ship...'_ Miranda thought, a surge of emotion running through her as she gingerly stepped out of the med-bay. She felt as though she should be angry about what happened; full of rage that Jack had actually attacked her. But like the women she often branded as 'pathetic' that featured in typical romance novels, she didn't feel any anger towards the convict. Rather worryingly, she didn't feel anything at all. As she made her way through the doors to her office, she realised with some concern that not a single thing she could think of generated a response. Feeling generally miserable and dejected, she flopped down onto her bed, not surprised anymore when she felt the tears running down her face. It seemed there was still one emotion left – sadness. She cursed herself for feeling this way; she was a Cerberus operative, genetically engineered to be perfect, second in command of the most advanced human-built ship ever made. And yet at that moment, she felt like little more than a child; lost and miserable with no one to turn to.

**~xxx~**

Shepard elbowed Garrus in the side for what felt like the hundredth time. "Samara, is there something in the Code about turians who don't know when to stop teasing their commanding officers?" she asked irritably, begging for the elevator doors to open.

"I am afraid not," the asari replied, smiling slightly. "It states that the commanding officer in question must sit back and take it."

"You two both suck," Shepard replied with a shake of the head, awkwardly folding her arms. The elevator door let out a small tone, and hissed open. Shepard quickly stepped out and onto the Crew Deck, desperate to get away from her two squadmates. To keep the inherent fear of being inside an actual Reaper at bay, Garrus and Samara had taken to teasing Shepard about various things, in particular the Commander's weakness for attractive women and her tendency to waste ammunition. At one point, she had cut them short by unloading an entire Heat Sink's worth of rounds into a single Husk.

Samara excused herself, and left for her usual residence in Starboard Observation. Shepard followed Garrus, determined to get the last word in. However, she paused when she noticed that the med-bay was now empty apart from Doctor Chakwas. Giving Garrus one last parting shove as her headed for the Battery, she headed back the way they'd come, turning right towards Miranda's office. She paused at the door, just far away enough to not trigger it's detection system. She took a deep breath, and slowly turned on her heel, back towards the elevator. She didn't have time to waste anymore – they had acquired the Reaper IFF, the team was complete and now there was an inactive geth onboard. Miranda had been absent at the meeting held just after they had returned, and Jacob had no clue as to what was wrong.

Shepard sighed again, leaning against the inside of the open elevator. Too many thoughts were floating around her head. Stop the Collectors. Help Miranda. Install the IFF. Keep Jack in check. Tell the crew. Don't tell the crew.

Running a hand through her shaggy blonde hair, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cold metal of the wall. As she did so, EDI's voice rang out.

"IFF installation will begin shortly, Shepard," the AI advised. "We are passing near a comm. buoy, you have a waiting video-call from Illium."

"Tell Liara I'm in full rant-mode, EDI," the Commander said, keying in the command for the elevator to take her to her cabin. "She'll need to be prepared."

"...very well, Shepard." The Spectre could have sworn EDI sounded confused. She smiled slightly; at least one member of the crew was making progress.


	10. Fading

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

"All in all, today has sucked," Shepard finished, crossing her arms. Liara nodded with a small smile, her holographic image flickering, causing the shadows created by the console to dance in the dim light.

"It is a good thing I called then," the asari replied. "I thought you would be irritated, considering we spoke only yesterday."

"Was it only yesterday...?" the Commander asked wearily, massaging her forehead with her hand. "Feels like weeks ago..."

Liara nodded. "I know how that feels," she said quietly. "Are you sure there is no way to console their relationship?"

"None that I can think of," Shepard replied. "Miranda tried, and Jack attacked her. I don't want either of them resenting me for prying too much."

"Things were never this complicated in the old days," Liara smiled sadly. "Things were so simple."

"Are you kidding?" the blonde woman asked with a cocky grin. "Keeping a stunningly hot asari out of my pants while trying to save the galaxy?"

"But the strength of our relationship was never in question," the asari countered with a chuckle, her own smile unwavering. "Nor is it now."

"But like you said – it's more complicated now, right?" Shepard sighed. "Simply the fact that we're talking like this, instead of face to face..."

"It won't be like this forever," Liara insisted. "I promise you that. You have your mission, I have mine – I swear that when both are complete, I will never leave your side again."

"If I make it out of this," the Spectre replied, her smile fading. "To be honest, I envy people like Samara......no one left behind if they die..."

"You will not die, Freya," the asari stated defiantly. "I don't know what horrors you will find waiting for you, but you won't die.....you can't..."

Even over the slightly distorted holographic display, Shepard could clearly see that Liara's eyes were filling with tears. She looked away, unable to watch her beautiful asari with such a pained look upon her face. "Liara......we'll be heading through the Omega-4 relay as soon as the IFF is installed," she said quietly. "There's so little time left......Legion wanted some help with something, but as soon as that's done with......we'll be on our way."

"When there is nothing left for you to do," Liara began, her tone low and serious. "When you are ready to give the order to head through the relay......come to Illium......I'll be waiting for you..."

"Liara, are you sure?" Shepard's own voice sounded nervous.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," the asari replied firmly, mirroring her own words before their first and only night together. Shepard nodded, realising just how important this decision was.

"I will," she replied simply. "Whatever happens, I'll be there."

**~xxx~**

Shepard tugged at the collar of her jacket, making sure it covered as much of her face as possible. She had borrowed it from Joker, not wanting to wear her recognisable armour or uniform on Illium. The Normandy was ready, but lacking a crew. Aside from her squad and Joker, the entire crew had been taken; prisoners of the Collectors. Even Kelly, her staunch ally during the business with Jack and Miranda, was gone. And yet, despite their desperate need to get to the Collector homeworld as soon as possible, she had heeded Liara's call. If she was to die on this mission, she wanted Liara's scent to be fresh in her mind; her skin still warm from the asari's touch.

As the elevator doors slid cleanly open, she stepped out into the corridor. The walls, ceiling and floor were a highly-polished white, giving more the appearance of a hospital than an apartment building. As she walked down the corridor, she looked out at the Illium cityscape, bathed in the golden glow of the evening. From this height, the very highest floor of the building, she could see for miles. Endless sprawling buildings and structures, extending off to the horizon.

She neared the only door other than the elevator's, sitting at the end of the corridor. Making sure for what seemed like the hundredth time that she wasn't being followed, she closed the gap between herself and the doorway, and pressed her hand against the door-chime. There was a momentary pause, and then the doors slid open.

The room beyond was large and circular, it's outer edge higher than the centre. Directly ahead was a wide panoramic window, circling roughly half the room and allowing the sunlight to cast harsh shadows across the lush red carpet. Around the edge of the room was what seemed like a wall of books, curving with the architecture of the building. She took a few more steps into the room, the door sliding shut behind her. Opposite the door was a large desk, upon which were what seemed to be several fragments of some ancient stone tablet. Shepard smiled; Liara's interest in archaeology clearly hadn't waned. Ahead of her, in the lowered area and surrounded by a curving pair of sofas was a small table, upon which were several more interesting-looking items. A small metallic sphere, an intricate clock-like device, a few more fragments of stone, and-

"Freya?" The Commander jumped slightly, and looked to the left. Liara was emerging from the room's only door, dressed only in what appeared to be a silk dressing gown. As the asari walked closer, Shepard couldn't help but allow her eyes to wander down the other woman's figure, watching carefully as her surprisingly muscular blue legs dipped in and out of the gown as she stepped towards her. Liara reached out and pulled the human into a warm embrace, resting her head upon Shepard's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here..." she murmured, gently brushing her lips against the blonde woman's already perspiring skin.

"Are you sure no one's watching here?" Shepard asked, resisting the urge to already give in to the asari's burning touch.

"The Shadow Broker has not yet tracked me to my home," Liara replied. "If he had, I would likely be dead by now."

"Don't talk like that," the Commander said seriously. "I can't think of anything worse than that..."

"Worse than the Reapers invading?" Liara teased, bringing her left hand up and weaving it through Shepard's messy hair.

"I hope for the sake of the galaxy's citizens that I never have to choose between saving them..." the Spectre leant forwards and placed a gentle kiss upon Liara's neck. "...and saving you..."

"You would save my life over trillions?" the asari asked quietly, leaning into Shepard's lips.

"In a heartbeat..." She slowly brought her own arms up and encircled Liara's waist, pulling her gently against her own body. "I love you Liara......I always will..."

"Freya..." Liara whispered, her voice husky. She gently pushed herself away from the Spectre. Shepard looked confused for a moment, before Liara extended a hand for her to take. "Come..." Without hesitation, Shepard took the blue hand within her own and allowed herself to be led through the door that the asari had entered from.

Liara's bedroom was bathed in the same glow at the main room, the light pouring in from a large window that encircled the whole room. Shepard barely had time to notice the balcony beyond a pair of French doors, before she was gently pushed onto the large double bed. Liara closed the door behind her, before swiftly pulling the sash of her gown free, allowing the silken material to part, revealing her bare body beneath. Shepard felt her throat tighten as she watched the approaching asari, her eyes roaming the ocean-hued skin she had so longed for.

The asari slowly crawled onto the bed, shrugging the dressing down from her shoulders and allowing it to slide completely free. She loomed over the Commander, shifting forwards on her knees. "You may have only been brought back a couple of months ago..." she whispered. "But for me, it has been two years..." Her eyes were fixed on Shepard's, unblinking. "Two years without your touch... There has never been anyone else; not a single being has even crept into my fleeting thoughts...only you..."

"Liara..." Shepard murmured, her voice hoarse. The asari leant forwards and placed a single finger against the Commander's lips, silencing her.

"Don't talk..." she whispered. "We have wasted enough time as it is." And with that, she replaced the finger with her lips, edging forwards and pressing herself against Shepard's body, her legs now on either side of the human's torso. Shepard reached up, wrapping Liara in her strong arms and pulling her even lower, their kiss never breaking.

She wasn't afraid of dying; she was afraid of leaving this blue-hued goddess behind.

**~xxx~**

Miranda looked up from her bed, her eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light pouring in through the nearest window. She felt the inertia as the Normandy banked upwards, and she glimpsed the tallest buildings of Illium disappearing from view. She didn't even bother to get up; now they were leaving Illium, there was only one remaining destination. She knew she would be called to the CIC as they neared the Omega-4 relay, and emotionally braced herself for the inevitable event of seeing Jack again soon.

She finally slid off the bed, stepping towards her desk. As she went, the inertial dampeners began to set in and she floor appeared to level out as the Normandy breached the atmosphere. She reached out and keyed in a few commands into her computer.

"Oriana," she began, her voice wavering slightly. "I don't know if you'll ever hear this, or even what circumstances you may hear it under, but there's not much time left......and I need to...well, I guess I just need to talk to someone. But there's no one here anymore who I can do that with......so it's up to you..." She leant back in her desk chair, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I don't think I'm going to survive this mission. I don't know what we'll face, but I just have this feeling......in the pit of my stomach......that I'm not coming back......and you know.....I don't think I care.....I've lived my life thinking I was perfect; that everything was the way I wanted it. And if it wasn't, I did something about it. But now.......I feel so useless.....how could she do this to me.....reduce me to this....?" She let out another sob, not even attempting to stifle it. ".....I'm going to die tomorrow.....and.....I'm completely fine with that..."


	11. Falling

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**You're going to hate me for this chapter...  
**

**~xxx~**

Shepard let out a deep breath, relief flooding her face. She leant a hand against the huge door, pausing to catch her breath for a moment. Behind her, she could hear Garrus and Jack breathing just as hard, only Samara seemed to have kept her cool. She glanced around the chamber, finding herself thoroughly tired of the stench that seemed present in every part of the Collector base. The Commander stood to full height, and turned to her companions.

"Nice work, Jack," she said breathlessly. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"Deserved everything they got," the convict replied with a small smirk. However, her smile disappeared completely when a voice crackled over the radio.

"Shepard, do you copy?" Miranda's voice earned a scowl from Jack, who just folded her arms and turned her back.

"I copy," Shepard replied, glancing briefly at Jack's retreating form. "What's your position?"

"We're at the door!" There was panic in her voice. "They've got us pinned down!" At that, Shepard took off towards the opposite door, Garrus and Samara following. Jack didn't seem at all bothered, simply walking in the same direction.

"We're coming, just hold on!" Shepard back, sliding into cover against the edge of the door, waiting for it to open. She turned to Garrus, who had taken position on the other side of the room. "Get this door open!"

"I'm on it!" the turian responded, crouching beside the console and starting to work. Within seconds, the massive doors began to open, and a flurry of gunfire came whizzing through the gap. The rest of the team began funnelling through the widening doorway. Zaeed, Tali, Jacob, Mordin, Legion, Grunt and finally Miranda sped into the chamber, all facing towards the incoming Collectors and laying down a barrage of gunfire. Miranda glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes met Jack's.

**~10 Days Ago~**

Miranda let out a content sigh as the steaming water ran down her bare back, soothing her aching muscles. She smiled into the water as is cascaded down over her, relieving all of the stresses she had endured recently. She ran her hands through her long hair, forcing out any knots that had formed. When another pair of hands placed themselves upon her stomach, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around, and found herself face to face with Jack, who just smirked.

"Hey, bitch," she greeted cheerily, causing Miranda to roll her eyes. She glanced downwards, and saw that the tattooed woman was in an equal state of undress.

"And what are you doing here?" she replied silkily, removing her hands from her hair and slowly encircling the other woman's waist.

"EDI let me in," Jack said. "Guess we forgot she's been able to see us every time we've done something together."

"That's true," Miranda turned her head up towards the ceiling. "I do hope she won't go _telling anyone_."

"I would not dream of it," EDI replied earnestly. Miranda chuckled and pulled Jack's bare body against her own, resting her head upon the shorter woman's shoulder. The convict returned it, her touch surprisingly tender. Without a word, Miranda pulled her head back and then leant in for a kiss. Jack received it eagerly, pushing a leg between Miranda's and slowly guiding her backwards so the dark-haired woman was pressed up against the shower wall.

"Jack..."

"Shut up," the bald woman growled, renewing the kiss with added force, sliding her tongue between the other woman's lips.

**~Present~**

Before the doors could slam shut, a single shot rang out. All eyes turned towards Miranda.

**~5 Days Ago~**

Jack gripped Miranda's shoulders tighter as another wave of sobs wracked her body. The dark-haired woman continued to gently stroke the convict's head, gently murmuring in her ear; that it would be alright; that Cerberus couldn't hurt her anymore. The facility on Pragia was nothing more than a crater, but that night Jack had seemingly been reduced to a childlike state, one she had shown glimmers of while they had explored the place in which she had been raised.

"It's okay..." she whispered soothingly, reaching up with her other hand and rubbing gentle patterns against the tattooed back. "I'm here..."

"Don't ever leave," Jack's voice was timid; broken; so unlike her usual self that it was frightening. Miranda however, ignored it and just nodded.

"I'll always be here," she replied seriously. "I may be a 'Cerberus bitch'," She smiled. "But I'm your Cerberus bitch."

Jack gave a small smile, nuzzling her head against Miranda's chest. "Mine..."

"To do with as you please," Miranda continued, relieved to see Jack's expression change.

"Be careful," the bald woman warned. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"You make a good point..." the raven-haired woman replied, disentangling herself from Jack and leaning back against the bed, her arms held above her head. "You still look as though you need cheering up......why don't you come up here..."

"Is that your solution to everything?" Jack replied, rolling her still red eyes.

"Only if it means sex with you," Miranda said matter-of-factly. It was obvious to Jack that Miranda was just playing the submissive role to brighten her mood. She would have been angry if it wasn't working so damn well.

**~Present~**

Miranda stumbled, her eyes never leaving Jack's. She gave a weak smile, never blinking as she gazed at the other woman. And then, as if in slow motion, she slumped onto her knees, and then onto the ground.


	12. Withering

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

"NO!" Several of the group looked on in shock as Jack skidded to Miranda's side, sliding to her knees and leaning over the prone woman. She tattooed woman's face was contorted with complete fear, her normally confident visage shattered. "No...no..." She grabbed Miranda's shoulders, shaking the woman's limp body. "You can't be.......damn it Miranda you can't do this to me!" Tears streaked down her face, leaving dark trails upon her cheeks.

Unnoticed by the weeping woman, Shepard knelt down beside her, calmly taking Miranda's wrist within her hand. Her hardsuit's built-in VI gave the clear response – no lifesigns. The Commander looked up at Jack, who turned her trembling face towards Shepard. The Spectre slowly shook her head, completely out of her depth. She had seen people die – more than she would have liked – but to have someone right beside them in the same state as Jack; it was unbearable.

Jack let out a howl that sounded more like an enraged animal than anything human. She collapsed on top of Miranda's chest, crying uncontrollably. By this time, the rest of the squad had gathered around their fallen comrade, some clearly baffled by Jack's reaction. Zaeed seemed completely bored and looked as though he was about to say something, but a glare from Grunt silenced him.

"You can't be gone..." Jack whimpered, grasping at Miranda's clothing. "You promised.....you fucking _promised_! You said you'd never leave!" She tentatively took Miranda's hand in her own, squeezing with all the strength she had left. "What happened to making an honest woman of me?" she asked, giving a half-crazed smile. "You said you'd teach me to behave like a normal person..." Another sob. "...and I told you to go fuck yourself, and then you kissed me..."

At this point, Jacob knelt beside Shepard, his expression unreadable. He turned to the Commander. "Is she...?" he asked. Shepard just nodded. "Damn it..." He looked over at Jack, completely clueless as to what she was saying. Clearly he, like most of the people there, thought she had gone completely mad. "Shepard, we......we should get moving..."

"Not yet," the Commander replied sternly, getting to her feet and leading Jacob away. "Give her some time."

"Time for what?" the man said, his emotions getting the better of him. "The bitch has flipped."

Shepard didn't respond, instead she turned to the rest of the squad. "Grunt, Garrus, Zaeed – keep an eye on the entrances." Garrus nodded silently, Grunt gave a smirk and grabbed Zaeed by the arm and frog-marched him away. The Commander looked at the rest of the group, her expression unsure. Tali seemed the worst affected; clinging to Samara's side. Mordin, for once, seemed lost for words, instead choosing to glance around nervously. Legion appeared to be examining it's comrades with interest, clearly attempting to gain more insight into human emotions.

Jack's tears continued to splash down onto Miranda, sliding down her peaceful face. "You were the only one that cared..." Jack whispered, her voice hoarse. "...the only one that ever..." Another sob wracked her shaking body. "Damn it Miranda, I _love you!_" She collapsed again, defeated. "...I love you..."

The stunned silence that followed this declaration was uncomfortable. Even the distant hums and whines of the Collector base seemed to have stopped, leaving the group alone with Jack's sobs. Shepard returned to the convict's side, and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Jack, we need to get going," she said. The tattooed woman turned to face her, her eyes wide with despair.

"No!" she growled. "I won't leave her! We have to-"

Miranda coughed as she drew in a long, loud breath, gasping for air. All eyes turned back to the prone woman; Tali and Jacob rushed to her side. Jack couldn't believe what she was seeing; the dark-haired woman shifted slightly, and tentatively opened her eyes. She looked around, her vision unfocussed, until her gaze settled on Jack. She weakly raised her arm, and instantly the bald woman took it within her own, squeezing firmly.

"Took all this..." Miranda wheezed, smiling deliriously. "...for you to say that you love me..." Her face contorted in pain, and she arched her back, letting out a growl of agony. Shepard looked down at the wound on Miranda's stomach. Thinking her dead, they hadn't thought to stem the bleeding. Though the exit wound was small, it was clear she had lost a lot of blood. With the red liquid unable to soak through her black suit, Shepard had forgotten what had 'killed' Miranda in the first place. The Commander was instantly on her feet, pressing a finger to her ear.

"Thane," she called. "Are you there?"

"Just made it back," the drell replied, sounding slightly out of breath. "I was about to contact you; the crew are safely aboard the Normandy – no casualties."

"Well we've got one here," Shepard barked. "Get Doctor Chakwas on here, now!"

There was a momentary sound of fumbling, before the familiar British accent answered. She sounded shaken. "Yes, Commander?"

"Miranda's taken a bad hit, she's lost a lot of blood," the Commander reported.

Instantly, the Doctor's voice was business-like. "Have you stopped the bleeding?"

"Only just started," Shepard said, glancing down and seeing that Jacob now had his hands firmly over Miranda's wound.

"Only just...?" Chakwas repeated. "How long has she been like this? What about medi-gel?"

"We've run out. She's been like this for a few minutes – we thought she was dead, I got no pulse," the Spectre explained. "Then she just woke up."

"It has been known to happen," the Doctor mused. "Is she conscious?"

"Barely," Shepard replied. "But she's talking; I think she knows where she is and what's going on."

"If she's lucid then she should be alright," Chakwas said. "Probably have her genetic enhancements to thank for that. If you can get her back to the Normandy, I should be able to stabilise her."

"Copy that," Shepard replied. She turned to the rest of the group. "Samara, Garrus, you're with me." The turian and the asari nodded and moved towards the Commander. "Jack," The tattooed woman looked up. "Keep Miranda alive – that's an order."

"Understood," Jack replied simply. She looked down at Miranda, and shuffled back a bit, moving from her knees into a crouching position, getting ready to lift the other woman.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" Miranda asked weakly, earning a smile from Jack.

"Now there's the whiney bitch I know," she replied. By now, Shepard had assembled the group in front of her, and was giving what sounded like a speech. Jack however was focussed solely on Miranda, finally lifting the other woman to her feet and slinging the dark-haired woman's arm over her own shoulders. Miranda let out a hiss, but didn't say anything. She looked at the other woman, who seemed to be attempting to catch what Shepard was saying.

"You really meant it?" she asked quietly. Jack glanced down at her.

"What?"

"That you love me?" Jack looked away, trying to hide the first blush Miranda had ever seen on her.

"Yeah, I do."

**~xxx~**

"Reload!" Jack barked, tossing her SMG to the side. Miranda caught it, and quickly began feeding heat-sinks into the weapon. Jack grabbed her heavy pistol and began firing over their cover. Miranda was slumped down beside a pile of unused heat-sinks, gritting her teeth as the pain in her stomach only worsened. The Collectors seemed to be endless in numbers, flooding through the doors with the consistency of a raging river.

As Jack ducked down behind the organic construct they were hiding behind, she shot the other woman a grin. "Bet you wished you'd stayed dead," she quipped, earning a smile from Miranda.

"The ship's here!" Jacob barked. With Miranda down, he had taken her place as the resident leader. "Get to that opening!" He pointed at the large gap in the wall on one side of the room, beyond which was another, much larger chamber, and hovering there, it's nose sliding in through the small gap, was the Normandy. Joker unceremoniously cut the thrusters beneath the front of the ship, dropping the entire front end on the incoming Collectors, squashing several of them flat. The airlock door slid open, and Joker's voice rang out from their radios.

"Normandy Taxi Service!" he called cheerfully.

"That was a joke." EDI added 'helpfully'. The squad took off towards the ship, Jacob being the first to reach the airlock. Jack reached down and roughly pulled Miranda to her feet, earning a gasp as waves of pain shot through the dark-haired woman's body. The tattooed woman scrambled over the mound they had been using as cover, dragging Miranda with her, and moved towards the ship as quickly as possible. Just before she reached the ramp that had extended from the airlock, a gunshot whizzed past her head. Both women turned and saw a Collector behind them, slowly toppling backwards, a neat hole in it's head. Legion lowered it's sniper rifle, before extending a hand to help Miranda up.

Once inside, Jack slung Miranda's arm over her shoulder again and began moving towards the elevator at the rear of the CIC. She looked up and saw Jacob running towards them. He stopped, and took Miranda's other arm, allowing them to move faster towards their goal. The dark-haired woman let out another gasp, her muscles tightening and causing the other two to pause as she subconsciously moved her arms. To make matters worse, the ship began to move, lurching backwards as it pulled away from the extraction site. The shaking movement of the ship made their task difficult, as Miranda's feet were slowly giving out, but they finally managed to reach the elevator.

Chakwas was waiting in the med-bay, and quickly directed them towards the nearest bed. Miranda cried out as the ship's motion caused Jack and Jacob to drop her rather unceremoniously onto the metal surface. She instinctively tried to curl into a foetal position, but Chakwas pushed her back, quickly running her omni-tool over the wound. The ship banked to the side, and several pieces of equipment slid to the other side of the room. With the artificial gravity of the Collector base affecting the Normandy, every single turn and tilt caused every unsecured object to move, making the Doctor's task even more difficult.

"Jacob, get the medi-gel – it's in that container over there," Chakwas ordered. "Jack-"

"No," Miranda choked, deftly reaching for the tattooed woman's hand. "Don't go."

"I'm here," Jack replied, forcing a smile. "You're going to be fine, Miri."

"Then why do you look terrified?" Miranda asked with a cough.

"Medi-gel," Jacob said, handing the container to Chakwas. She took it, and began feverishly working at her desk.

"Jack...it's getting dark..." Miranda said quietly. "Is the power failing...?"

Jack remained silent, unable to make out any dimming of the lights. Unable to force her smile anymore, she turned over her shoulder. "Are you two fucking done yet?!"

"Jack...I can't..." Miranda's eyes closed, and her hand went limp within Jack's.

"No..."


	13. Reuniting

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

Miranda frowned as consciousness slowly began to return to her. Letting out a strained murmur, she allowed her eyes to flicker open, momentarily blinded by the ocean of light above her. As her vision adjusted, she was once again greeted by the sight of the medical bay ceiling. This time however, the lights were all on – and the room appeared in it's usual clinical white, rather than the dimmed red that had been present the last two time she had awoken there.

"Welcome back," a rather smug voice greeted. Miranda tilted her head to the side, and saw Commander Shepard sitting beside her bed, arms folded and a grin upon her face. There was a nasty bruise on Shepard's cheek, but other than that she seemed to be in perfect condition; even her hair looked as though it had recently been washed.

"...we did it?" Miranda mumbled, her voice hoarse. Shepard nodded, her smile only widening.

"No fatalities – both squad and crew," the Commander reported. "Collector base - destroyed, Reaper created from captured humans - destroyed, Illusive Man's smugness – destroyed."

"I can see I'm in for one hell of a debriefing," Miranda chuckled. "I need to hand in my resignation..."

"As long as I can watch," Shepard replied. "You should have seen his face when he heard what had happened."

"I can't imagine he was best pleased," the dark-haired woman said. With a grunt, she forced herself to sit up, noting the rather thick bandaging around her stomach. "What's the damage?"

"Nothing lasting," the Commander replied. "Luckily Collector weapons are more like lasers than actual solid rounds – you essentially suffered severe burns in and around the wound. Doctor Chakwas repaired the damage, and the skin should heal quickly, given your enhancements. She even said it probably won't scar."

"Where's Jack?" Miranda had wanted to ask that first, but didn't want to sound too desperate to see the tattooed woman. Shepard just smiled.

"Helping with the repairs to the lower decks," she said. "She was here until about half an hour ago; she refused to leave until you were in the clear."

Miranda nodded. "Can I see her?"

"Soon," Shepard replied. "She made me promise to get her as soon as you woke up, but there's something I wanted to ask first."

"Ask away," the raven-haired woman said, slowly swinging her legs over the side of the bed and letting the tips of her boots brush against the floor.

"Kelly told me all about how you and Jack got together," Shepard explained. "Sometimes with a little......too much detail......but the one thing she never really found out from all your talks, was this – why Jack?"

The question surprised Miranda. She remained silent, and looked away from Shepard, attempting to find an answer. She had never really thought about it – not clearly. Were her feelings for Jack based on an uncontrollable desire? Was it really just lust? No, she knew she loved her. But as for why, she really had no answer.

"I...I don't know," she said quietly. "I honestly don't know...she's just......so unlike anything I've ever encountered before. She's just so _wrong_ – every part of her is different to what I consider normal. And I guess part of me finds that very attractive.......I wish I had a better answer for you..."

"It's okay," Shepard replied, still smiling. "I know exactly what you mean – as I told someone once; these things just happen, and we get swept up in the storm."

"I guess that's true," Miranda said. She looked contemplative for a moment, before looking up at Shepard. "What about you Commander – why Liara?"

Shepard smirked. "Haven't the faintest idea."

"Miri!" Both women looked up and saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway to the medical bay. Miranda's smile turned into a grin.

"Jack," she said warmly, forcing herself onto her unsteady feet and rushing forwards as quickly as she could. Jack met her halfway; Miranda had been expecting an embrace of sorts, but instead Jack just grabbed the back of her head and crushed their lips together, pushing herself against the taller woman with all the strength she possessed. Shepard rolled her eyes, and silently excused herself from the room, leaving the other two women alone.

"I.....I thought you were gonna die," Jack said, finally leaning her head back a few inches. Her often glaring eyes seemed softer than usual; more honest.

"You know I couldn't do that," Miranda replied quietly. "I'd never hear the end of it from you."

"Don't joke like that," the tattooed woman said; Miranda was shocked at just how shaken she sounded; it was like talking to a different person. "I couldn't go on without you..."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Jack?" Miranda replied, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Look," Jack said, still sounding serious. "I'm only gonna say this stuff once........or maybe if I get really drunk..." She shifted uncomfortably. "But...I couldn't go on without you, Miranda. I mean it – I.....I love you so fucking much it scares me..."

Miranda smiled, and wordlessly pulled the other woman into a warm embrace, resting her head against Jack's. The smaller woman gripped onto her tightly, her hands pressing firmly into Miranda's back.

"I love you too..." the dark-haired woman whispered, and Jack smiled, tears falling down her content face.

**~xxx~**

Shepard watched as the women held each other, gazing through the windows to the medical bay. She smiled, and turned away. As she headed towards the elevator, she saw Garrus coming the other way. The turian smiled at her and stopped in front of her.

"I didn't get a chance to say it before, but nice work out there, Shepard," he said. "I knew you'd get the job done, but I never thought we'd get back with everyone alive."

"Couldn't have done it without you, Garrus," the Commander replied. "One thing – I think you have permission to use my first name." She smirked at his surprised reaction.

"Are you sure?" the turian asked, smiling nervously. "I'm so used to calling your Shepard, it could be a bit strange."

"Oh come on," she gave him a friendly shove. "You're my best friend, I think you've earned it."

"Okay......Freya," he managed, scratching the back of his head.

"Now was that so hard?" Shepard asked teasingly, moving past Garrus and continuing towards the elevator. The turian stood there for a moment, frowning.

"...well it didn't sound right to me..."

**~xxx~**

As Shepard approached her cabin, EDI's familiar voice rang out, echoing around the small corridor. "Shepard, upon docking we took on fresh supplies," she said. "One particular package was instructed to be delivered directly to your quarters."

"Why wasn't I told beforehand?" the Commander asked, puzzled. "And who approved the delivery?"

"I believe the answers to your questions will be made clear when you see the package," EDI explained. Shepard frowned, and stepped towards the door. It slid open automatically, and instantly Shepard's eyes widened.

Liara slowly pulled her hand away from where it had been pressed against the fish tank, and turned to face the doorway, her young face illuminated by the eerie blue light. The corners of her eyes were glistening, and even as she stepped forwards, Shepard felt her own vision becoming blurred by moisture. The human could feel her lip quivering slightly, unable to believe the sight before her. Liara took a few tentative steps towards the blonde woman, her cheeks shining in the dim light. Shepard wanted to say something; anything; but found her mouth just hanging open uselessly. Neither spoke as their hands finally met. Instead of lacing their fingers together, they spent several moments simply tracing the contours of the other's hands. And then, without any signal between them, they both moved forwards and wrapped their arms around each other, tears flowing freely from two pairs of eyes. The moment was perfect, and this time, nothing was there to interrupt.

"This can't be real..." Shepard murmured, her nose rubbing gently against Liara's neck. The asari smiled.

"Then it must be a dream..." she replied, slowly bringing a hand up and stroking the human's cheek. "A very good dream..."

**~xxx~**

Miranda couldn't help but let out a laugh as Jack pushed her back onto their bed. She ignored the slight twinge in her wound, and instead focussed on the woman kneeling above her. The last time she had been in this position, she had let Jack essentially have her way with her – not this time. She pushed herself back up, and grabbed Jack's shoulders, dragging her down and attempting to roll them over. Both of them were laughing now, half-heartedly fighting for dominance, but mainly just enjoying themselves. It seemed to be finally sinking in that they were both alive, well, and the mission was over. Despite their usual personalities, the extreme sense of relief seemed to have reduced them both to little more than children on Christmas morning.

With a cackle, Jack attempted to flatten Miranda's arms with her own body, squashing the other woman beneath her. But Miranda, still giving an uncharacteristically wide smile, managed to raise one of her knees and shove Jack backwards off her. Losing her balance, Jack tumbled off the foot of the bed, slamming into the metal floor. For a moment, Miranda was worried she may have hurt the other woman, but another laugh from Jack was all she needed to hear. With a chuckle of her own, she practically dived off the end of the bed, tackling Jack and roughly forcing their lips together.

"I've never seen you this fucking crazy," Jack commented with a grin.

"You seem to have that effect on me," Miranda replied, rather unceremoniously shoving a leg between Jack's, pressing upwards. "What I want to know is this – it's six hours since we destroyed that base an escaped with our lives – so why are we still wearing clothes?"

"I like how you think, Lawson," the tattooed woman cackled, lifting herself up on her elbows and placing a quick kiss upon Miranda's nose. "But even I'm gonna have to say we should do this on the bed – I don't wanna have to explain to Shepard how I got bruises fucking my girlfriend."

"What's to say you won't get bruises anyway?" Miranda asked with a sly smirk, reluctantly getting to her feet and pulling Jack up with her. "Maybe I like it rough."

"Bullshit – this ain't the first time we've fucked, cheerleader," Jack countered.

"First time we have after I've quit Cerberus," the dark-haired woman replied, slowly stepping backwards towards the bed. "Maybe I've lost some of my inhibitions..."

"Didn't know you had any," Jack scoffed.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Jack, just get over here and fuck me."


	14. Loving

**Mass Effect and all related characters and places are owned by Bioware - I just make them dance for my own amusement.**

**~xxx~**

Shepard's eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, illuminated only by the blue glow of the fish tank. Beside her, she could feel Liara's breathing against her neck, tickling her. She smiled, and turned to look at the sleeping asari. The previous night had felt like their true reunion; Liara hadn't displayed a hint of the coldness she had exhibited on Illium. They had spent the first hour simply talking, discussing their future together. Despite them having spoken many times since their initial reunion, Liara had apologised unreservedly for the way she had behaved. Her desire to exact revenge on the Shadow Broker hadn't wavered, but she had now decided that being with Shepard was more important. It had taken Shepard's reaction to her changed personality to make her realise just how far down her dark path she was – and it had also been Shepard that had pulled her away before she fell as far as her mother had.

The Shadow Broker would pay; but when he did, Shepard would be at Liara's side. Whether or not this happened before or after the Reapers had been dealt with was currently unknown; despite the obvious threat of incoming galactic extinction, current estimates put at least a few years before the Reaper fleet began to arrive. Not a relatively long period of time, but long enough for the crew of the Normandy to be granted a month's shore leave to receive support for their ordeal, and to reunite with loved ones.

And after all that was settled, and the galaxy was safe once more, the two lovers would finally embark on the life they had dreamed of. Shepard was positive that she would always be needed by the Council in some capacity, but taking out Mercs and hunting down criminals was child's play compared to saving all sentient life in the galaxy. Shepard had to wonder if any of the pirate or mercenary gangs she often tangled with had any idea just how much they owed her, and what impact it would have if they actually killed her. The saviour of the galaxy being gunned down by a rookie Blue Suns merc didn't seem at all appropriate.

She was broken from her thoughts when Liara shifted slightly, tightening her grip around the human's waist and opening her eyes slightly. "Hey, you," Shepard greeted softly, gazing lovingly into those pools of pale blue.

Liara smiled. "I thought I had dreamt it all," she replied quietly.

"Afraid not," Shepard said with a smile of her own. "You're stuck with me."

"Hmm, good..." Liara whispered, before closing her eyes again and nuzzling her head against Shepard's shoulder. "The way it should be."

"Don't act all sweet and innocent on me," the blonde teased. "You were anything but submissive last night."

"I did not hear you complain, _Commander,_" Liara's voice was also light-hearted. She opened her eyes again and placed a gentle kiss upon Shepard's lips. "It would be unfair if you had to do all the work."

"I wonder if the Reapers would respect a 'do not disturb' sign on the door..." the Spectre mused. "I don't think I ever want to leave this bed."

"Not even for a..." Liara's smile widened. "...shower?"

Shepard's eyebrows rose dramatically. "Why, Dr T'Soni, I do believe you have become quite the pervert."

"Blame my beautiful human bondmate," Liara replied, slowly sliding herself away and towards the edge of the bed. "The one who touches herself while staring at naked images of me..."

"Says the person who sent them to me," Shepard growled playfully. Liara slid sideways out from under the covers, and quickly retreated up the steps towards the bathroom. Shepard gave chase, chuckling to herself as the naked lovers sped into the small shower and the door hissed shut behind them.

**~xxx~**

When Jack awoke, she was greeted with a rather odd sight. Miranda Lawson, now wearing her underwear, was sitting cross-legged at the end of their bed, wrestling with what appeared to be her own uniform. Wondering if she was just seeing things in her drowsy state, the bald woman sat up and rubbed her eyes. The movement caused Miranda to pause, and she turned over her shoulder.

"Morning," she greeted through gritted teeth. "Be with you in just a second." She turned back to the shiny black material, and continued whatever she had been doing. Jack frowned, and crawled over to the other woman, resting her chin upon Miranda's shoulder.

"The fuck are you doing?" she asked. Miranda let go of the uniform, and let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Trying to get this damn thing off," she replied, gesturing at the Cerberus logo that still emblazoned the material. "It's like it's welded on."

"You could always walk around as you are now," Jack purred, shifting her head sideways so it was resting against Miranda's. "I know I wouldn't complain, and you could distract our enemies with those lovely tits of yours."

"Very funny," Miranda replied. "I noticed you've started covering up a bit more now." She gestured at the jacket hanging from a nearby chair.

"The way I see it, now I've got you, other people shouldn't get to see all this," She gestured at her bare, tattoo-covered body. "Only my gorgeous bitch is allowed to."

"That's sweet," the dark-haired woman replied. "...I think..."

"Been thinking about getting some new ink," Jack continued. "Got a nice little spot all picked out for it."

"You mean the space above..."

"Yeah, that," Jack said with a smirk. "Thinking of getting your initials or something; your tongue seems to own the place, anyway."

"Your fault for tasting so good," Miranda countered, finally smiling and letting the uniform drop from her hands. "Well I hope you realise that if you _do_ get something there, I won't be able to go near it until the skin has healed."

"Fuck that," the bald woman replied loudly. "You better eat me out every night, or I'm gonna start telling everyone that you snore."

"I don't snore," Miranda replied flatly, the ghost of a pout gracing her full lips. Jack however, was only just starting.

"Yeah you do," she went on. "And you talk in your sleep. _'Oh Jack, I'd never be able to go on without you',_ _'Jack, I'll never let you go'_, I can't decide whether it's sweet or just fucking hilarious."

"You do that, and I'll tell everyone where your tattoo of a smiley face is," Miranda replied, a superior expression upon her face.

"Good luck with that," Jack said, her own smirk not wavering. "You also gonna tell them just where you had to look to find it?" At this, both women just laughed, and they shared a brief kiss.

"In all seriousness, Jack," Miranda began. "You really are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Don't get all emotional," the tattooed woman replied. "It doesn't suit you......but thanks anyway." Miranda smiled warmly, and slowly turned around, pulling the other woman into an embrace.

"I don't care if you think I'm being too sensitive," she said softly. "I love you Jack, and I don't care who knows it."

"Well that's handy," a voice from the doorway said. Both women looked up to find Shepard standing there, leaning against the doorframe. "Because we've got a party to go to on the Citadel – dates encouraged."

The two women upon the bed turned to each other, and Jack grimaced. "I'm not wearing a fucking dress."

**~The End~**

** Well I hope you guys all enjoyed this little romp. It's not perfect, I'll be the first to admit that, but it was very fun to write. Expect more future stories set in this continuity – and yes – the party on the Citadel will be getting a one-shot all to itself.**

** Thanks for reading.**


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